[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 30 (Friday, February 16, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E379-E380]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO DAN E. STRAIGHT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 16, 2007

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Madam Speaker, I rise today to note the 
passing of Dan E. Straight. Although Mr. Straight did not reside in my 
district, he worked on an issue within my district that was dear to his 
heart--the preservation and reopening of the Rollins Pass road over the 
Continental Divide near Winter Park, Colorado.
  Mr. Straight passed away last week. He led a full life that included 
patriotic service to our country. He served in the U.S. Air Force for 
years and saw action in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He also served 
his community through work with the Boy Scouts, the American Red Cross 
and his local Rotary.
  And because he loved history and the outdoors, he was a champion for 
the reopening of the Rollins Pass road. Also known as the Moffat Road 
due to its proximity to the Moffat railroad tunnel, this road was used 
as a stage and narrow gauge railroad corridor taking passengers from 
Colorado's east slope communities to the homesteads, resources and 
recreational activities on the western slope. Rollin Pass contains 
historic railroad features such as dramatic trestles that span creek 
valleys and a feature aptly called the Needle Eye Tunnel near the top. 
Due to age, rock fall has occurred in the tunnel and it has remained 
closed.
  Due to Mr. Straight's efforts, I included language in the James Peak 
Wilderness and Protection Area Act to allow for the reopening of the 
Rollins Pass road to two-wheel drive vehicles. Conversations are 
occurring between the acted countries and the U.S. Forest Service in 
this regard. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Straight as we were 
working on this legislation. It was clear that he had a love for this 
road, this state and this country and he served it all with distinction 
and passion.
  Madam Speaker, I have attached a story from the Longmont Times-Call 
newspaper noting his passing.

               [From the Daily Times--Call, Feb. 9, 2007]

                      Longmont loses `The Colonel'

                           (By Trevor Hughes)

       Longmont.--Dan E. Straight, a retired Air Force colonel and 
     tireless advocate of reopening Rollins Pass Road over the 
     Continental Divide to Winter Park, died suddenly Wednesday. 
     He was 84.
       A longtime local resident, Straight volunteered with groups 
     ranging from the American Red Cross to the Boy Scouts. He 
     helped launch the Twin Peaks Rotary.
       Originally from Greeley, Straight and his family settled in 
     Longmont around 1976 after he retired from the Air Force, for 
     which he had flown more than 29 types of aircraft. The front 
     fuselage of one of them, a B-26B Marauder nicknamed ``Flack 
     Bait,'' is displayed at the Smithsonian.
       Straight, known locally to many as ``The Colonel,'' was one 
     of many pilots of the storied World War II bomber. He flew 
     one mission in the bomber, on Valentine's Day 1945, carrying 
     his young daughter's shoe in his pocket so she'd always be 
     near.
       Straight often regaled high school students with stories 
     from his service during World War II, Korea and Vietnam, 
     according to his family.
       He and Juanita also were Red Cross volunteers who helped 
     Special Transit transport people in Longmont and Boulder 
     County to medical appointments.
       But it was perhaps his 25-year presidency of the Rollins 
     Pass Restoration Association that brought Straight the most 
     local attention. The pass, along an old railroad grade and 
     through the Needle's Eye Tunnel, offers a shortcut between 
     Boulder and Grand counties.
       The 23-mile route fell out of use by trains in 1928, when 
     the 6.2-mile Moffat Tunnel was completed. With the tracks 
     removed in the late 1920s, trains gave way to cars, and for 
     decades the pass and tunnel drew sightseers and travelers 
     from across the Front Range.
       Part of the Needle's Eye Tunnel collapsed in 1979, but it 
     was re-opened to cars in 1987 before another partial collapse 
     that injured a sightseer closed it again in 1990.
       ``I'm just amazed at the people who built it,'' Straight 
     said in 2003.
       Technically difficult to pull off at 11,000 feet, the 
     tunnel-stabilization project entailed drilling eight-foot 
     holes into the tunnel walls and roof, then gluing in inch-
     thick steel rods.
       The 1990 collapse injured an area firefighter who was hit 
     by falling rocks from the roof of the tunnel's southern 
     entrance.
       The cause: a single missing rock bolt. Ironically, the 
     space where the missing bolt should be is clearly visible in 
     the commemorative photos given to association members. 
     Straight took that photo, a signed copy of which hangs in the 
     Times-Call newsroom.
       Despite the setback, Straight remained committed to 
     reopening the tunnel, and negotiations among local officials 
     about fixing it continue to this day.
       ``That was his favorite mission in life,'' said his 
     daughter Su Eckhardt.
       She added that Straight was involved in many other 
     endeavors, including the Longmont Rotary Club, Westview 
     Presbyterian Church, the Masons, the Shriners, the St. Vrain 
     Photographic Society and the Salvation Army.
       ``He made a commitment beyond simply joining and paying 
     dues,'' she said.

[[Page E380]]

       Clark Misner served as project manager for the Rollins Pass 
     reopening in 1987. Now the county's transportation director, 
     he said Straight's love of railroads and the old wagon route 
     over Rollins Pass prompted his interest in the project.
       ``He was a really decent guy, a straight shooter, no pun 
     intended,'' Misner said. ``He was direct about what he 
     thought should happen. He was honest and just a good guy.''
       Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, 
     at Westview Presbyterian Church, with the Rev. Bruce McQueen 
     officiating. Military honors will be presented by the Mile 
     High Honor Guard, USAF.
       In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations 
     to the American Red Cross, the Boy Scouts, the Rollins Pass 
     Restoration Association, Shrine Children's Hospitals or 
     Westview Presbyterian Church in care of Ahlberg Funeral 
     Chapel, 326 Terry St., Longmont 80501.

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