[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 147 (Monday, October 1, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2026]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       TRIBUTE TO NICHOLAS BENSON

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PATRICK J. KENNEDY

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 1, 2007

  Mr. KENNEDY. Madam Speaker, I would first like to acknowledge 
everything that the National Heritage Fellowship has meant to this 
country over the past 25 years. It has been a vital inspiration for 
those who practice traditional arts and Americans owe so much of our 
nation's artistic diversity to the Fellowship.
  I also speak today to honor the achievements of Nicholas Benson. In 
Rhode Island, a place where there is no shortage of history, the 
contributions of Mr. Benson's family stand out for their beauty, charm 
and authenticity. Mr. Benson oversees a stone carving shop that has 
been in his family for three generations and has been operating 
continuously for over three hundred years.
  Thankfully, the contributions of Nicholas Benson and his family have 
not been limited to Rhode Island. From the Civil Rights Memorial in 
Montgomery, Alabama to the World War II Memorial here in Washington, 
DC, his work is a part of our history. In a country where so much of 
our history is recorded through art, I am reminded of something John 
Adams wrote to his wife Abigail in l780,
  ``I must study politics and war, that our sons may have liberty to 
study mathematics and philosophy. Our sons ought to study mathematics 
and philosophy, geography, natural history and naval architecture, 
navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a 
right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, 
tapestry and porcelain.''
  Nicholas, in producing three generations of outstanding artists, your 
family has surpassed even the dreams of John Adams himself. I would 
like to congratulate you once again. It is my hope that this fellowship 
allows you to further your craft and to continue the work of your 
family. You are an inspiration to us all.

                          ____________________