[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 47 (Wednesday, April 26, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E624]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF WILLIAM A. KOCH TO PRESERVE THE ABRAHAM 
             LINCOLN BOYHOOD HOME IN LINCOLN CITY, INDIANA

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                         HON. MICHAEL E. SODREL

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 26, 2006

  Mr. SODREL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to an 
upcoming meeting of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission (ALBC) 
at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial in my district and to honor 
the achievements of the deceased William A. Koch and Congressman 
Winfield K. Denton, for their contributions to preserving the memory of 
Abraham Lincoln's early life in Indiana by establishing this national 
park.
  On May 1, 2006, the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission will meet 
in Lincoln City, Indiana, at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, 
established through legislation signed into law by President John F. 
Kennedy on February 19, 1962. This national park is the site of the 
farm on which Abraham Lincoln spent 14 years of his early life, a time 
when Lincoln grew physically and intellectually into a man. This was a 
place where he laughed with his father, cried over the death of his 
mother, read books, and faced the adversities of life at that time. It 
is only fitting that the ALBC meet at this site while planning events 
for the celebration in 2009 of Lincoln's birth and, while there, to 
honor the family of the man who contributed so much to preserve the 
legacy of President Lincoln's early life, William A. Koch.
  A local, influential businessman, Mr. Koch conceived the idea of a 
national park to preserve Lincoln's legacy in the late 1950s. With the 
cooperation and leadership of Congressman Winfield K. Denton, he worked 
tirelessly and patiently through studies, hearings, and debates. And, 
in 1962, the idea that Bill Koch developed and nurtured was 
accomplished. The transfer of the Nancy Hanks part of the Lincoln 
Memorial to the Department of the Interior was completed.
  To William Koch, whose widow and children carry on his mission, we 
owe a debt of gratitude, for without his vision and perseverance, the 
memory of Lincoln's Indiana years would be greatly diminished and lost 
on future generations. Today, visitors from around the world can visit 
his boyhood home to learn what life was like for Lincoln and other 
early pioneers in the Midwest.

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