[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 53 (Thursday, April 22, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S4298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               LAURA JOSS

 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I pay tribute today to Laura 
Joss, superintendent of Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic 
Shrine and Hampton National Historic Site, NHS. Laura has recently been 
appointed superintendent of Arches National Park in southern Utah and I 
wish her and her family the best of luck with this new assignment and 
thank her for the outstanding job she did in managing and enhancing 
Fort McHenry and Hampton NHS since coming to Maryland in 2000.
  Over the past 4 years, I have had the opportunity and privilege to 
work closely with Laura Joss in efforts to protect and restore the 
historical resources of Fort McHenry and Hampton NHS and to develop a 
Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail to help educate our 
citizens about a pivotal, but sadly neglected period in our Nation's 
history. In every instance, Laura proved herself to be a skillful and 
highly effective leader. Under her direction, Fort McHenry's seawalls 
and many historic structures have been restored, plans have been 
advanced to develop a new visitors center to accommodate the increasing 
number of visitors to the fort, many preservation projects have been 
undertaken at Hampton and a new general management plan for this 
historic site has been completed. Laura and her dedicated staff have 
frequently gone beyond the call of duty, offering to assist with the 
recovery efforts from the recent water taxi accident in Baltimore's 
Harbor and the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center and 
volunteering with the National Flag Day Foundation, Historic Towson 
Inc, and the Baltimore City Heritage Area, to name only a few examples.
  Laura's dedication to the stewardship of the National Park System has 
earned her the respect of everyone with whom she has worked. During her 
14-year career in the National Park Service, she has protected and 
improved some of our Nation's most precious natural and cultural 
treasures. Beginning as a volunteer at Mesa Verde National Park, she 
quickly advanced to serve in a number of national park units throughout 
the country, including Yellowstone National Park, Bryce Canyon National 
Park, and Glen Canyon National Recreation. Through her accomplishments 
she has set a high bar for all those to follow in her path, and the 
visitors to these national parks will benefit from her efforts for 
years to come. I greatly value the assistance Laura provided to me and 
my staff. I extend my personal congratulations and thanks for her many 
years of hard work and dedication to the principal conservation mission 
of the National Park Service and join with her friends and coworkers in 
wishing her, her husband Stuart Meehan, and her daughters Lindsay and 
Elizabeth, well with this new assignment and relocation.

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