[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 13, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H892-H894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING AFRICAN AMERICAN INVENTORS

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend 
the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 966) honoring African 
American inventors, past and present, for their leadership, courage, 
and significant contributions to our national competitiveness.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 966

       Whereas African-American and other minority scientists, 
     technologists, engineers, and mathematicians have made 
     significant achievements in our national research enterprise 
     and inspired future generations;
       Whereas the National Society of Black Engineers (``NSBE'') 
     lifts up African-American

[[Page H893]]

     researchers of the past and present, including special 
     contributors named in this Resolution;
       Whereas Garrett Augustus Morgan made outstanding 
     contributions to public safety;
       Whereas firefighters in the early 1900s wore the safety 
     helmets and gas masks that he invented, and for which he was 
     awarded a gold medal at the Second International Exposition 
     of Safety and Sanitation in New York in 1914;
       Whereas 2 years later, he himself used the mask to rescue 
     men trapped by a gas explosion in a tunnel being constructed 
     under Lake Erie;
       Whereas following the disaster which took 21 lives, the 
     City of Cleveland honored him with a gold medal for his 
     heroic efforts;
       Whereas in 1923, he received a patent for a traffic signal 
     to regulate vehicle movement in city areas, and this device 
     was a direct precursor to the modern traffic light in use 
     today;
       Whereas Ernest Everett Just was a trailblazer in the fields 
     of cell biology and zoology;
       Whereas his research and papers on marine biology were so 
     well received in 1915 that Ernest Everett Just was awarded 
     the first Spingarn Medal by the National Association for the 
     Advancement of Colored People at age 32;
       Whereas Ernest Everett Just dedicated years of research 
     toward the study of cells and cell structures in order to 
     understand and find cures for cellular irregularities and 
     diseases such as sickle cell anemia and cancer and became one 
     of the most respected scientists in his field;
       Whereas racial bigotry in the United States caused much of 
     his work and his achievements to go unrewarded;
       Whereas in other countries, he was treated as a pioneer and 
     was recruited to work with Russian scientists and invited to 
     be a guest researcher at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for 
     Biology, the world's greatest scientific research laboratory 
     at the time;
       Whereas he was welcomed at the Naples Zoological Station in 
     Italy and the Sorbonne in France, where he conducted research 
     and was regarded as one of the most outstanding zoologists of 
     his time;
       Whereas Archibald Alphonso Alexander excelled in design and 
     construction engineering;
       Whereas, employed by the Marsh Engineering Company, he 
     designed the Tidal Basin bridge in Washington, DC;
       Whereas after studying bridge design in London, Archibald 
     Alphonso Alexander and George Higbee formed a general 
     contracting business that focused on bridge design;
       Whereas his designs include Washington, DC's Whitehurst 
     Freeway, the heating plant and power station at the 
     University of Iowa, and an airfield in Tuskegee, Alabama;
       Whereas he went on to become the first Republican 
     territorial governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands;
       Whereas David Nelson Crosthwait Jr. made significant and 
     practical contributions to the engineering of heating and 
     cooling systems;
       Whereas he held numerous patents relating to heat transfer, 
     ventilation, and air conditioning, the areas in which he was 
     considered an expert;
       Whereas David Nelson Crosthwait Jr. served as director of 
     research laboratories for C. A. Dunham Company in 
     Marshalltown, Iowa, where he served as technical advisor from 
     1930 to 1970;
       Whereas he designed the heating systems for Radio City 
     Music Hall and Rockefeller Center in New York City and 
     authored texts and guides on heating and cooling with water;
       Whereas during the 1920s and 1930s, he invented an improved 
     boiler, a new thermostat control, and a new differential 
     vacuum pump to improve the heating systems in larger 
     buildings; and
       Whereas African-American innovators continue to improve the 
     daily lives of Americans through their inventions and stir 
     the creative spirit of future generations: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the United States House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes and appreciates the significant achievements 
     to our national research enterprise made by African-American 
     and other minority scientists, technologists, engineers, and 
     mathematicians;
       (2) honors and extends its appreciation and gratitude 
     toward all African-American inventors, for the significant 
     and honorable research and educational contributions that 
     improve the lives of all citizens and that have gone 
     unacknowledged too long; and
       (3) looks for opportunities to make sure that the 
     creativity and contribution of minority scientists, 
     technologists, engineers, and mathematicians can be expressed 
     through research, development, standardization, and 
     innovation.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. 
Akin) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous 
consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and 
extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on H. Res. 
966.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, in celebration of February as Black History Month, I 
offer this resolution to celebrate the accomplishments of four 
outstanding inventors.
  The first, Garrett Augustus Morgan, lived from 1877 to 1963 and was a 
son of former slaves. He grew up in Kentucky on the family farm, but as 
an adolescent, he worked as a handyman for a wealthy Cincinnati 
landowner. Surely that early experience, as well as his education, 
influenced and shaped his interest as an inventor.
  Among his inventions, Garrett Morgan designed a traffic signal that 
greatly improved public safety. In the early 1900s, bicycles, animal-
powered carts, and motor vehicles shared the roads with pedestrians. 
Accidents frequently occurred between the vehicles. After witnessing a 
collision between an automobile and a horse-driven carriage, Morgan was 
convinced that something should be done to improve traffic safety. He 
was the first to be granted a patent for a traffic signal containing 
the caution provision.
  Prior to Morgan's invention, most of the traffic signals in use 
featured only two positions: stop and go. Because the manually operated 
traffic signals of the day allowed no interval between the ``stop'' and 
``go'' commands, collisions at busy intersections were common during 
the transition moving from one street to another. Morgan's traffic 
signal, as well as others, such as a safety hood and smoke protector, 
contributed greatly to public safety. Such a simple innovation, yet a 
major impact.
  The second innovator mentioned in this resolution is Ernest Everett 
Just, who lived from 1883 to 1941. He grew up in Charleston, South 
Carolina, and was the son of a dock builder. He dedicated his life to 
cell biology research and earned a Ph.D at the University of Chicago. 
He studied the fundamental role of the cell surface in the development 
of organisms. He performed his research in the District of Columbia, 
Chicago, and Massachusetts, as well as in Italy, Germany, and France.
  Ernest Just was truly a trailblazer during the time when African 
American researchers were rare and underappreciated.
  The third individual to be honored is Archibald Alphonso Alexander, 
who lived from 1888 to 1958. Born in Iowa, the son of a janitor, 
Alexander was the first African American to graduate from the 
University of Iowa. He studied bridge design in London, England, and 
founded his own business in the 1920s. He and his partners designed and 
constructed many roads and bridges, including the Whitehurst Freeway, 
the Tidal Basin Bridge and an extension to the Baltimore-Washington 
Parkway.
  He designed the Tuskegee Airfield and the Iowa State University 
heating and cooling system. He was truly a Renaissance man. He excelled 
in football, designed highway infrastructure, and served as Governor of 
the U.S. Virgin Islands.
  Finally, my resolution honors David Nelson Crosthwait, Jr., who lived 
from 1898 to 1976. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and grew up in 
Kansas City, Missouri. After graduating from Purdue University in 1913 
where he studied mechanical engineering, he took a job with the C.A. 
Dunham Company.
  During his 40 years with the company, he became an expert on heat 
transfer, air ventilation, and central air-conditioning. He authored a 
manual on heating and cooling with water. He also wrote guides and 
standards as well as codes that dealt with heating, ventilation, 
refrigeration, and air-conditioning systems.
  During the 1920s and 1930s, he invented an improved boiler, a new 
thermostat control, and a new differential vacuum pump, which were all 
more effective for the heating systems in larger buildings. He also 
held numerous patents and designed the heating systems for Radio City 
Music Hall and Rockefeller Center.
  These four individuals and so many others overcame the tremendous 
personal challenges to excel in their careers and benefit society.
  The National Society of Black Engineers has chosen to lift up these

[[Page H894]]

innovators, and I thank the society for its helpful input in designing 
this resolution to honor these exceptional men.
  Let their light shine as an example to the thousands of African 
American young students across the Nation. The message of their lives, 
that of Black History Month, and that of this resolution: with 
challenge comes perseverance, with perseverance comes endurance, with 
endurance comes strength, and with strength comes success.
  It is my goal to wish success to all students of color who aspire to 
future careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. AKIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 966. 
It's fitting that this Congress is also considering the gentlelady from 
Texas', Mrs. Johnson's, resolution on the same day that we're 
celebrating National Engineers Week.
  H. Res. 966 honors African American inventors, past and present, for 
their leadership, courage, and significant contributions to our 
national competitiveness. Three of the men we honor today were 
engineers; the fourth, a renowned biologist. Their contributions to our 
Nation are many; their drive to achieve success, often in the face of 
adversity, admirable; and their recognition today, highly deserved.
  We owe a debt of gratitude to Garrett Augustus Morgan for the 
contributions he made to public safety with safety helmet, gas mask, 
and traffic signal inventions.
  Ernest Everett Just's cellular work to help find a cure for sickle 
cell anemia and cancer helped him become one of the most well-respected 
scientists in his field.
  Many of the roads we travel on in the D.C. area, including the Tidal 
Basin Bridge, the Whitehurst Freeway and much of the Baltimore-
Washington Parkway, were designed by Archibald Alphonso Alexander.
  Considered an expert in heat transfer, ventilation, and air 
conditioning, David Nelson Crosthwait, Jr., invented numerous practical 
heating devices. These include an improved boiler, thermostat control, 
and differential vacuum pump for larger buildings, such as Radio City 
Music Hall and Rockefeller Center.
  These men are role models for our next generation of scientists and 
engineers. This Congress, through America COMPETES, has made great 
strides to ensure that our Nation continues to attract the best and the 
brightest to these admirable and important careers.
  I support H. Res. 966 and encourage my colleagues to do the same.
  With that, I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no requests 
for speaking, and I reserve.
  Mr. AKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would simply ask 
for support of H. Res. 966 and thank the Speaker, as well as the 
gentleman on the other side and all the staff for assisting.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 966.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. AKIN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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