[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 98 (Monday, June 18, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1327]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HAPPY 80TH BIRTHDAY TO MR. M. BLOUKE CARUS

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                           HON. JERRY WELLER

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 18, 2007

  Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to offer 
congratulations to Mr. M. Blouke Carus of Peru, Illinois on the 
occasion of his 80th birthday.
  A captain of industry, publisher, inventor, veteran, engineer, 
educator, linquist, preservationist and community servant, Mr. Carus is 
undoubtedly one of the most accomplished persons I have the privilege 
of representing in the Congress of the United States.
  As Chairman of Carus Corporation, Mr. Carus oversees this privately 
held holding company which includes the Carus Chemical Company, the 
world leader in the fields of water treatment and air purification 
through the manufacturing and application of potassium permanganate and 
a variety of manganese compounds.
  Mr. Carus is also Vice-Chairman of Carus Publishing Company which 
includes Open Court General Books and 14 children's magazines including 
such well-known publications as Cricket, Ladybug and Spider. This high 
quality children's literature has educated and entertained young people 
for more than three decades.
  Mr. Carus has also demonstrated a lifelong interest in education. His 
educational achievements include the development of textbooks and 
teaching programs in the areas of reading, language arts and 
mathematics. By Presidential appointment, Mr. Carus has served as a 
member of the National Council on Education Research which established 
research policy for the United States Department of Education. He 
played an important role in establishing Illinois Valley Community 
College (IVCC) by chairing the Citizens Committee which led the effort 
to create IVCC. Today, 40 years after its creation, IVCC enables 
thousands of students to obtain post-secondary educations in many 
fields while serving as a catalyst for economic development and greater 
employment throughout the Illinois Valley.
  Mr. Carus has long been a champion of both enhanced school to work 
educational programs as well as the need for strong systems of 
educational accountability. He has pursued these critically important 
goals as chairman of the Education Committee of the Illinois 
Manufacturers' Association and as a member of the Illinois Governor's 
Task Force on School-to-Work Transition.
  It gives me special pleasure to note the leadership role of Mr. Carus 
in restoring and reopening the historic Hotel Kaskaskia in downtown 
LaSalle, Illinois. The accomplishment of this goal will not only save a 
structure deemed to have national historic significance but will also 
spark the economic revitalization of the downtown business area of the 
City of LaSalle.
  In closing, I urge my colleagues to seek out and highlight the 
contributions and achievements of the leading citizens of their own 
congressional districts across our Nation.

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