[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 76 (Wednesday, June 14, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S5871]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING RUTH ZIOLKOWSKI ON HER 80TH BIRTHDAY

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I wish today to recognize and 
honor Ruth Ziolkowski on the occasion of her 80th birthday.
  Ruth Ziolkowski deserves great recognition for her dedication to the 
establishment of the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation. She is the 
president of the board of directors and chief executive officer of the 
foundation, which is a nonprofit educational and cultural project 
established in 1949. Ruth assumed leadership of the project after the 
1982 death of her husband, Crazy Horse sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski. 
Work on the memorial is now a family endeavor, with many of 
Ziolkowski's five sons and five daughters working as a team to advance 
the project.
  Native American leaders chose the figure of Crazy Horse for his 
devotion to serving his people and preserving their culture. He was 
known not only for his skill in battle but also for his loyalty to his 
people. Ruth Ziolkowski, in many ways, reflects his character.
  When completed, the Crazy Horse Memorial will be the world's largest 
sculpture. In 1998, the completion of the face of Crazy Horse made it 
the world's largest single sculpted portrait. However, the goals of the 
Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation go beyond completion of the physical 
structure. The foundation works for reconciliation and harmony between 
races, and provides services such as the Crazy Horse Memorial Native 
American Scholarship Program, which assists students from the nine 
South Dakota reservations.
  Ruth Ziolkowski holds honorary doctorate degrees from South Dakota 
School of Mines and Technology and the University of South Dakota. In 
1997, she received the Free Spirit Award from the Freedom Forum, which 
is a nonpartisan, international foundation dedicated to free press, 
free speech, and free spirit. In addition, Korczak and Ruth Ziolkowski 
have been accepted into the Hall of Fame of Sales and Marketing 
Executives International, Inc.
  On June 26, 2006, Ruth Ziolkowski's 80th birthday, there are plans to 
bring the mountain alive with Legends in Light, a multimedia laserlight 
show that tells the story of Native Americans and their contributions 
throughout the centuries. The celebration's magnitude can only strive 
to match the vast contributions the Ziolkowski family have made to 
ensuring that the dream behind the Crazy Horse memorial comes true.
  Mr. President, I wish to publicly recognize Ruth Ziolkowski's 
achievements, and wish her the best on this special occasion.

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