[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 66 (Thursday, April 24, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E721-E722]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING KATHRYN FLYNN

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 24, 2008

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate 
Kathryn Flynn, of Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is being honored on May 2, 
2008, with it 2008 Heritage Preservation Award for individual 
achievement from the New Mexico Cultural Properties review committee.
  For the past 17 years, Kathryn has been committed to preserving the 
history and legacy of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal and 
its enormous impact on New Mexico and the Nation. She has labored 
tirelessly to locate, restore and document the undertakings of the 
Works Project Administration, WPA, and the Civilian Conservation Corps, 
CCC, in New Mexico. Functioning on shoestring budgets, Kathryn enlisted 
New Mexico volunteers to help in this effort and then went nationwide, 
state by state, to convince others to do the same. This resulted in the 
formation of the National New Deal Preservation Association, of which 
Kathryn was unanimously elected executive director, a position she 
holds today.
  Through Kathryn's leadership, skills, talents and passion, hundreds 
of thousands of dollars have been raised in private and public funds 
for conserving New Deal art in New Mexico. This funding has allowed for 
the restoration and conservation of five Santos at the Palace of the 
Governor's Fine Arts Museum, seven Helmuth Naumer pastels at the New 
Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, the Bronson Cutter bronze 
statue on the Santa Fe capitol grounds, seven paintings and etchings in 
the Taos public schools, and seven murals in the Ilfeld Auditorium at 
Highlands University. Conservation work is currently underway on public 
art works at New Mexico State University and Silver City, and numerous 
other preservation projects have been conducted because of Kathryn's 
remarkable leadership and efforts.

[[Page E722]]

  Kathryn's and the National New Deal Preservation Association's 
efforts culminated into the honoring of the 75th anniversary of the New 
Deal. Several meetings in our Nation's capital have taken place among 
many departments, including the Library of Congress, various 
organizations and private citizens, who have joined the association in 
this noble project. During 2008, various events and activities will be 
held nationwide to call attention to the New Deal and the extraordinary 
time in which it took place in our nation's history.
  It is appropriate that I also call attention to Kathryn's 
distinguished professional career. Earning a Master's degree in 
Rehabilitation Counseling/Psychology, she served the State of New 
Mexico in health and rehabilitation services, as executive director for 
the Carrie Tingley Hospital and Foundation, and as executive director 
of Open Hands, Inc. She then became Deputy Secretary of State, where 
she edited for many years the Blue Book, an invaluable resource for 
such information as New Mexico history, landscape, government, 
educational institutions, political leaders, Native Americans and state 
attractions.
  It was in the role of editing the Blue Book that Kathryn ``found her 
true calling.'' She wanted to include a piece of WPA art for inclusion 
in the 1991 edition of the Blue Book, but it was nowhere to be found. 
The search for this artwork led to Kathryn's realization that much of 
what was created during the New Deal was being lost, not only through 
physical deterioration, but also as a legacy to younger generations. 
Kathryn wanted to ensure that the New Deal's history, artistic beauty, 
public works and, perhaps most importantly, the encouragement and hope 
that it created in the minds and hearts of millions of citizens who 
were out of work during the Great Depression, be preserved for 
posterity.
  Kathryn Flynn is considered by many as our nation's leading authority 
on the New Deal, and she is well deserving of recognition. I invite my 
colleagues to join me in congratulating her upon receiving New Mexico's 
2008 National Preservation Heritage Award. On behalf of all New 
Mexicans, I extend our deepest appreciation for all Kathryn has done to 
protect and preserve the history and all that the New Deal created for 
generations to come.

                          ____________________