[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 80 (Thursday, May 15, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E935-E936]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  H.R. 5872, BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICAN CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATIVE COIN ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. BOB ETHERIDGE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 14, 2008

  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 
5872, the Boy Scouts of America Centennial Commemorative Coin Act. This 
bill directs the Secretary of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 
350,000 $1 silver coins in 2010 to commemorate the centennial of the 
founding of the Boy Scouts of America. The $10 surcharge required for 
each coin will be paid to the National Boy Scouts of America 
Foundation.
  Mr. Speaker, I have long been honored to be associated with the Boy 
Scouts of America. I am the proud father of an Eagle Scout and

[[Page E936]]

I have been proud to support the Occoneechee Council of the Boy Scouts 
in North Carolina through volunteer work and vital fundraising. I have 
been honored to receive the Silver Beaver, the Scouts' highest award 
for volunteering,
  Scouting has contributed to the fabric of American life for nearly 
100 years. The Boy Scouts of America was incorporated on February 8, 
1910, and chartered by Congress in 1916, The Boy Scouts of America's 
original mission was to provide an educational program for boys and 
young men to build character, to train in the responsibilities of 
participating in citizenship, and to develop personal fitness.
  You know, North Carolina and America and indeed the entire world have 
changed a great deal since 1910, yet the Boy Scouts endure. The Boy 
Scouts remain a mainstay of American life because the message of this 
organization is timeless: developing American citizens who are 
physically, mentally and emotionally fit.
  The leadership and service skills learned as a Boy Scout have enabled 
men to become leaders in all walks of life: government, business, 
sports, science and the arts. These include such distinguished 
individuals as: President Gerald R. Ford, our first Eagle Scout to 
become President; Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates; and my friend, 
Richard Gephardt, the former Majority Leader of the U.S. House of 
Representatives, and Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. Closer to my 
home, former North Carolina Governor and Senator Terry Sanford was an 
Eagle Scout.
  The Boy Scouts of America is an institution that contributes so much 
to the strength of our social fabric. The activities of the Boy Scouts 
reinforce our moral core and help sustain our American values, 
generation after generation.
  I support the issuance of this commemorative centennial coin, and I 
urge my colleagues to join me in support of this bill.

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