[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 25, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1099-E1100]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING MR. DONALD G. WALDON ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT 
   AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE TENNESSEE-TOMBIGBEE WATERWAY DEVELOPMENT 
                               AUTHORITY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 25, 2005

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride and pleasure that I 
rise to honor Mr. Donald G. Waldon on the occasion of his retirement 
from the position of Administrator of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Water 
Development Authority. Mr. Waldon has held this position for the past 
20 years and has served the waterway and its many users well. His 
dedication and hard work have been a powerful asset in helping to 
develop the waterway and the areas surrounding it.
  Mr. Waldon, a native of Columbus, Mississippi, grew up in Mobile, 
Alabama. He graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree 
in Civil Engineering in 1961. He completed his post-graduate studies in 
science

[[Page E1100]]

and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1963 
and Texas A&M University in 1964. He is also a 1994 graduate of the 
Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma.
  In 1961, Don Waldon moved back to Mobile and began his career with 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he worked as a project engineer 
conducting feasibility studies for water resource projects such as 
ports and waterways. In 1966, Don became a Budget Examiner in the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of the Executive Office of the 
President where he advised the OMB and White House officials, including 
the president, on major budgetary, policy, and legislative matters 
involving natural resources. His agency responsibilities included the 
Interior Department, the Corps of Engineers and the Tennessee Valley 
Authority. From 1969 to 1974, he held the position of Principal 
Examiner, at which time he assumed the duties of Deputy Assistant 
Secretary for the U.S. Department of the Interior. His responsibilities 
included management of all land and water resource agencies within the 
Department of the Interior. At that point in time, they had a total 
annual budget of nearly $2 billion and nearly 12,000 employees. 
Additionally, he served on a number of White House task forces, 
particularly those involving energy during this period.
  In 1974, after a successful career in the federal government, Don 
decided to move back to the south and was hired as the Deputy 
Administrator at the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development 
Authority. On July 1, 1984 Don took over the position of Administrator, 
a position he has held for the past 20 years.
  Mr. Speaker, there are few individuals who have provided more 
invaluable service to their community, their state, and their country 
than Donald Waldon. He is an outstanding example of the quality 
individuals who have devoted their lives to public service, and I ask 
my colleagues to join with me in congratulating him on the occasion of 
his retirement. I know his family--his wife, Jackie, his four children, 
and his four grandchildren--as well as his colleagues and many friends 
join with me in praising his accomplishments and extending heartfelt 
thanks for his many efforts on behalf of the state of Alabama, and 
indeed, a grateful nation. I would like to wish him much success in all 
future endeavors as he enters this new phase of his life.

                          ____________________