[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 103 (Friday, July 10, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRATULATING MICHAEL SULLIVAN ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 10, 2009

  Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, it is with great pride and pleasure that I 
rise to honor the distinguished career of Michael Sullivan on the 
occasion of his retirement as executive director of the Gulf Coast 
Exploreum Science Center after 11 years of service.
  Mike served as a consultant for the Gulf Coast Exploreum for eight 
years before becoming its executive director in 1998. He and his wife, 
Eleanor Kulin, worked together planning and marketing the museum's 
major events.
  In 1998, Mike oversaw the museum's relocation to its high-tech home 
at Government and Water Streets. Throughout his career, Mike brought 28 
traveling exhibitions and 46 large-format films to the J.L. Bedsole 
IMAX Theater. The Exploreum was also named Alabama's Attraction of the 
Year in 2008 during the Governor's Conference on Tourism. The Exploreum 
was the most visited attraction in south Alabama and the seventh most 
visited in the state.
  Under Mike's leadership, the Exploreum has brought one 
``blockbuster'' exhibit after another to Mobile--bringing hundreds of 
thousands of visitors and millions of dollars to the local economy. In 
2005, ``The Dead Sea Scrolls'' attracted 205,661 visitors to Mobile and 
an estimated $13.4 million to the local economy--in just 109 days.
  In recognition of his many remarkable accomplishments, Mobile Mayor 
Sam Jones declared ``W. Michael Sullivan Day'' earlier this year. The 
J.L. Bedsole IMAX Dome Theater lobby was named in Mike's honor by the 
Exploreum board of trustees.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing a 
dedicated leader and friend to many throughout the Gulf Coast. On 
behalf of all those who have benefited from the Gulf Coast Exploreum, 
permit me to extend thanks for enriching the lives of so many.
  On behalf of a grateful community, I wish Mike and Eleanor the best 
of luck in all of their future endeavors.

                          ____________________