[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 5 (Wednesday, January 10, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S355]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING CORTLANDT DIETLER

 Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I would like to recognize 
Cortlandt Dietler, a great Coloradan who tonight is receiving the 
National Western Stock Show's 2007 Citizen of the West award. This is 
an honor befitting a man whose life and career exemplify the Western 
values of independence, hard work, and humility.
  A native Coloradan, Cort is a pioneer in the oil industry and has 
helped make Denver an energy center for our Nation. He began his career 
with ARAMCO in Lebanon in 1947, and has been involved with more than 30 
energy companies since, many of which he has led or has founded. Today, 
he is the chairman of TransMontaigne Inc, a petroleum product 
distribution and marketing company which he founded. He is so respected 
in his industry that his peers have honored him repeatedly; in 1976 the 
Denver Petroleum Club named him the Oil Man of the Year, in 1986 the 
Colorado Petroleum Association named him the Pioneer Oil Man of the 
Year, and in 2003 the Independent Petroleum Association of the Mountain 
States selected him as the Wildcatter of the Year.
  I have known Cort to be a spirited contributor to his community. He 
lends his expertise to organizations like the Denver Art Museum, the El 
Pomar Foundation, and the Buffalo Bill Memorial Association. He is 
generous as a philanthropist and has a candid voice on the shared 
challenges we face.
  While Cort has worked primarily in the oil industry, he has also 
worked in ranching and with the National Western Stock Show for many 
years. He and a partner ran a cattle operation in the Eagle River 
Valley, near Vail, and bred thoroughbreds for racing.
  He is being honored today because he epitomizes the values which are 
so central to Western life--he has worked hard, acted ethically, and 
served his community with humility and honor. Cort belongs among the 
select group of leaders who have received this award, and I 
congratulate him on this honor.

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