[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 4, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E738]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                FOND DU LAC HIGH SCHOOL SESQUICENTENNIAL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. THOMAS E. PETRI

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 4, 2010

  Mr. PETRI. Madam Speaker, few events resonate more within a community 
than marking a major anniversary of its only public high school. This 
year, in my home town of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, we are celebrating 150 
years of continuing commitment to academic excellence that has been 
achieved by Fond du Lac High School.
  As described by G.K. Chesterton, one of the most influential English 
writers of the 20th century, ``Education is simply the soul of a 
society as it passes from one generation to another.'' I believe the 
generations of those who have lived in Fond du Lac since the high 
school first opened its doors in January of 1859 have been very well 
served.
  Fond du Lac is similar to many cities of its size throughout this 
great nation. Its citizens are hardworking and civic-minded; they are 
family-oriented and committed to their children; and they understand 
the value of a high-quality education. It is for these reasons the high 
school is such a source of community pride and so tightly woven into 
the fabric of the community.
  It was this commitment to education that initially drove concerned 
parents to petition for the creation of a high school in October of 
1858 in order to develop their children's base of knowledge beyond the 
fundamentals. In what has become recognized as a typical American trait 
of every generation, they wanted their children to achieve more than 
they had and they knew education was the key. They also knew there 
needed to be a facility where the work of education could be completed.
  The first permanent high school in Fond du Lac was built in 1865 at a 
cost of $17,000. That building burned to the ground in 1868 but, 
undaunted, the community responded by building a four-story, brick and 
stone facility, which was completed in 1871 at a cost of $45,000. As 
the city grew, its citizens responded by building larger schools, 
expanding them, and when necessary replacing them, in a cycle that has 
been repeated many times over. How far we have come from the first high 
school classes held in the Sewell Store on Main Street to the 
expansive, multimillion-dollar, high-tech school we have today.
  But a high school is more than just bricks and mortar; more important 
are the people who have worked there and have been a part of its 
development. As Fond du Lac celebrates this important milestone, it is 
appropriate to remember individuals like George B. Eastman, the first 
Superintendent of the Fond du Lac Union High School District; Edwin 
Johnson and M.S. Merrill, Fond du Lac High School's first teachers; and 
Julia Gibbons and John P. McGalloway, who were among those who served 
on the first elected school board in the 1920s. Those who belong to 
more recent generations will tell you not to forget Lowell P. Goodrich, 
who served as Superintendent from 1923 through 1940 and after whom the 
high school would be named for many years.
  Through the generations, Fond du Lac High School has graduated 
students who have gone on to contribute to their communities and 
professions in a wide array of occupations and pursuits, demonstrating 
that education is indeed ``the soul of a society.''
  As we reflect on the profound impact of education, please join me in 
congratulating the people of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin as they celebrate 
the sesquicentennial of their high school this year.

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