[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 75 (Wednesday, June 2, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E982]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       CONGRATULATING BOB LINDNER AS HE CELEBRATES HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 1, 2004

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my good 
friend Bob Lindner, who is retiring from the Baltimore District of the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Over our nearly twenty year working 
relationship, there were a few times that he may not have realized that 
I considered him a friend, but I am proud to state for the record that 
I do.
  Bob Lindner is a model example of the dedicated but unsung civil 
servants who make our government work. Those of us who are elected or 
appointed to policy level positions like to think we are running 
things, but the truth is that policy is only as good as it is 
implemented. Bob is a master of understanding the underlying policy and 
applying it in a practical way to achieve the desired outcome.
  Bob, who will turn 62 next week, is retiring after 39 years of civil 
service. He most recently served as the Chief of the Planning Division 
for the Baltimore District for the past five years. He is responsible 
for a staff of 75 engineers and scientists. He has led a strong Civil 
Works Program that includes the geographic area of our Nation's Capital 
and portions of six States, and includes projects in the planning, 
design and construction phases.
  Bob's career has been highlighted by numerous accomplishments, 
including the Scranton and Olyphant Local Flood Protection Projects, 
Lock Haven Flood Protection Project and numerous projects solving flood 
control, navigation and erosion problems. It has been through the 
Wyoming Valley Levee Raising Project that I came to work most closely 
with Bob. In fact, it took me some time to forgive him for retiring 
before the project is completed; however, I have come to recognize that 
he has devoted much of his time in the Corps to training the next 
generation of managers to follow in his footsteps.
  Over the years we faced many obstacles with the Wyoming Valley Levee 
Raising Project, including budget cuts, an audit, and conflicts among 
partners, but Bob always managed to keep the project moving forward. We 
had our battles when I thought the Corps should be more flexible, and 
he thought I was a bit too ambitious. However, I always knew he had the 
best interest of the country, the Corps, and the project at heart, and 
we grew to respect one another.
  From 1992 to 1999, Bob was a manager in the Programs and Project 
Management Division. This included six years as Acting Assistant Chief 
of the Division. He helped oversee the development and execution of a 
$2 billion dollar planning, design and construction program dispersed 
over 27 military installations and civil works and environmental 
restoration projects in the Susquehanna and Potomac River Basins and 
Chesapeake Bay.
  Prior to 1992, Bob served as Chief of the Project Development Branch 
in the Planning Division, where he was responsible for the study and 
plan formulation phase for Civil Works water resources projects. Many 
of the projects constructed or in construction today, started as 
studies under Bob's leadership--including those in Scranton, Olyphant, 
the Wyoming Valley and other projects that reflect highly on the 
Baltimore District today.
  Bob is a trusted confidante. He is known throughout the Army Corps of 
Engineers Civil Works community for his practical solutions to complex 
issues.
  Bob has been honored through numerous awards, including the Army 
Superior Civilian Service Award, the Army Commander's Award for 
Civilian Service, Outstanding Supervisor of the Year for the Baltimore 
District and Outstanding Supervisor of the Year for the Federal 
Executive Board for Baltimore Region.
  While Bob is a hard worker, he is completely dedicated to his wife 
Doris and their two children, Nancy and David. They reside in Baldwin, 
Maryland.
  I want to thank Bob for his service to the Nation through his Army 
and Corps of Engineers career. Bob's knowledge, skill, and abilities 
developed over a lifetime of dedicated service as an engineer and civil 
servant, his contribution to his profession and society, and his 
honesty and ethical standards make him deserving of our recognition 
today.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my esteemed colleagues in the House 
of Representative please join me in congratulating Bob Lindner and wish 
him all the best for a well-deserved retirement.

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