[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 62 (Thursday, May 12, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5067-S5068]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      A LIFE OF TEACHING, A LOVE OF LEARNING, A HEART FOR CHILDREN

 Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I am honored to recognize a truly 
remarkable individual today. Gail Chumbley is a history teacher at 
Eagle High School in Eagle, ID. A high school history teacher; there 
are many individuals who can claim this job title but few who have done 
so much. Gail is an amazing teacher, passionately devoted to teaching 
our American experience to her students. Not only does she teach about 
events in our Nation's history, she has ventured into the next realm, 
moving the tenets of American citizenship into the real world for her 
students.
  I first heard of Gail's efforts 4 years ago when she became actively 
involved in the Library of Congress's Veterans Oral History Project 
four years ago. At that time, she had organized the recording of over 
300 oral histories for Eagle High School's library alone. She expanded 
the effort to include other Idaho schools and collaborated with local 
civics groups to record literally hundreds more interviews that went to 
both the Eagle High School archives and the Idaho Oral History Center. 
One of the most significant accomplishments of Gail and her students 
was their participation in the Veterans Stand Down in Boise where 
homeless veterans were given the opportunity to record interviews. Her 
efforts were not confined to veterans of past wars. Gail and her 
students also have sent gift boxes and cards to our current service 
women and men in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002. She was instrumental 
in making Eagle High School the top school donor for the World War II 
Memorial, with a donation of close to $25,000. The list of her 
accomplishments, enhanced further with her national recognition by the 
Daughters of

[[Page S5068]]

the American Revolution this year is long, but that is not the focus of 
my remarks today.
  Gail has turned the teaching of history and civics into the action of 
patriotism. Perhaps the most compelling and significant accomplishment 
of Gail Chumbley is not her esteemed list of awards and honors, which 
are many and richly-deserved. Her most important contribution is her 
role in creating a sense of citizenship within the hearts and intellect 
of many Idaho young people. This citizenship lives on in these students 
as they grow into adulthood and manifests itself in their actions, 
commitments and convictions. It is an entity that grows exponentially 
and of its own volition, eclipsing plaques, certificates and 
statuettes. These gather dust, but what they represent are the pillars 
upon which our country stands firm. This living citizenship is 
immortalized by the marbled statues of men and women not far from here, 
and in words carved of the same.
  I honor Gail Chumbley today: American patriot, exemplary citizen and 
role model for all of us.

                          ____________________