[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 26 (Tuesday, March 8, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2241-S2242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING CLIFF MANLEY

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, the Vermillion High School class 
of 1965, of

[[Page S2242]]

which I am a member, will be celebrating its 40th reunion this summer 
in Vermillion, SD and will be paying tribute to former VHS Principal 
Cliff Manley with the unveiling of a handsome plaque in his honor.
  Ms. Michelle Rydell, the editor of the Vermillion High School 
newspaper, ``The Vermillionaire,'' recently wrote an excellent column 
in that newspaper about the class of 1965 and the extraordinary career 
of Cliff Manley. I ask that this article be printed in the Record.
  The article follows:

                       [From the Vermillionaire]

                       Class of 1965 Pays Tribute

                          (By Michelle Rydell)

       ``When we were young and green, you tried to bend us in the 
     right direction. Now that we are old and bent, we look at the 
     path you lit and say, `Thank you, Mr. Manley, for helping us 
     set our course. You made a difference.' ''
       It is with fond remembrance that the class of 1965 
     dedicates these words to former Vermillion High School 
     principal, Clifford Manley. Manley was not simply an 
     authoritative figure--he was a friend to all students. VHS 
     alumni remember him as someone with a firm hand yet a soft 
     heart. According to former students, he had a sense of humor 
     that shone through even when he had to be firm with one of 
     his students. He was very personable with both his peers and 
     those under him. According to one class member, ``Mr. Manley 
     loved all of his students. Of course, there was still a 
     degree of fear when we had to go to the principal's office, 
     But he loved kids--he was a great man.''
       They also remember him as someone who was always present 
     for extra-curricular activities and who loved watching 
     sports. A former coach himself, Manley made it an objective 
     to support not only the school but his students as well. It 
     if perhaps for his dedication that he is most well-known. As 
     principal, Manley did everything from teaching to coaching, 
     and most importantly, serving as a mentor and role model for 
     his students.
       Manley's service and dedication is the reason the class of 
     1965 (which, incidentally, was the last class to graduate 
     from the old Vermillion High School) has dedicated a plaque 
     in remembrance of is gracious spirit. The plaque, featuring a 
     picture of Manley set against a picture of the old high 
     school and decorated with red birds to signify the class' 
     ever-present Tanager pride, will be hung in the high school 
     in the coming month.
       The plaque had recently been hanging in the Sioux Valley 
     Dakota Gardens, where Manley's wife Helen now lives. The 
     plaque was displayed at the Dakota Gardens in order that 
     Helen's children and friends might get the opportunity to see 
     it during Christmas, but now that the holidays are over Helen 
     is giving the plaque to the high school to display. The 
     plaque will stay in the school as a lasting tribute to the 
     man who not only taught his students as a biology teacher and 
     principal, but a man who inspired them on a personal level as 
     well.
       VHS students will be some of the first people to see the 
     plaque. The plaque is designated to be revealed at the class 
     of 1965's 40th reunion, which will be occurring this coming 
     summer. The reunion, therefore, will be not only be a time of 
     fellowship for former students to rediscover their 
     classmates, but it will also be a time for students to 
     remember the principal who had such an impact on so many 
     students' lives and take a moment to reflect on their 
     appreciation for his service.
       It is hard to find those special people in life who make 
     such an impression that after forty years they are still 
     considered memorable and special. Yet many agree that Manley 
     was such a person. His dedication to Vermillion High School 
     has been remembered and appreciated throughout the decades, 
     and despite the fact that he has since passed away, he is not 
     forgotten. His works live on through the school and through 
     the lives of the many he has touched. It's not always easy to 
     be a disciplinarian and friend, yet Manley managed to do 
     both. As a result, he is remembered not only as a loving 
     husband, father and grandfather, but also as a beloved 
     principal, mentor and friend.

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