[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 118 (Thursday, August 5, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6877-S6878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING EERO SAARINEN

 Mrs. McCASKILL. Mr. President, I wish to commemorate the 100th 
anniversary of the birth of Mr. Eero Saarinen.
  Mr. Saarinen was born in Finland on August 20, 1910, immigrated with 
his family to the United States in 1923, and became an American citizen 
in 1940. A master of American 20th century architecture, Mr. Saarinen 
passed away on September 1, 1961.
  In 1948, Mr. Saarinen won the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial 
Competition with his design for the Saint Louis Gateway Arch, creating 
a monument which, in his words, ``would

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have lasting significance and would be a landmark for our time.'' One 
of our Nation's most iconic monuments, the Gateway Arch symbolizes 
Saint Louis' role as the ``Gateway to the West'' and celebrates our 
Nation's westward expansion. Famed architect Cesar Pelli commented that 
the Arch is ``a perfect combination of a free gesture with a romantic 
view of modern technology.'' Today, the Arch remains Mr. Saarinen's 
most widely recognized work.
  Mr. Saarinen also designed several well known structures including 
the Trans World Airlines Flight Center at New York's John F. Kennedy 
International Airport and the main terminal at Washington Dulles 
International Airport, which is renowned for its gracefully curving 
roof, suggestive of flight. Missouri is fortunate to also host the 
Firestone Baars Chapel. Designed by Mr. Saarinen, the chapel features a 
unique four-foyer design, and is located on the campus of Stephens 
College in Columbia.
  In addition to his accomplishments in the field of architecture, Mr. 
Saarinen was also a groundbreaking designer of furniture. In 1956, he 
created the tulip chair, featured on the original Star Trek television 
series and considered a classic of industrial design.
  In recognition of his many achievements, Mr. Saarinen was elected, in 
1954, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, considered 
the highest formal recognition of artistic merit in the United States. 
In 1962, Mr. Saarinen was posthumously awarded the Gold Medal from the 
American Institute of Architects. The highest honor bestowed by the 
organization, it is conferred in recognition of a ``significant body of 
work of lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.''
  On behalf of me and the people of Missouri, it is my sincere pleasure 
to honor the life, achievements, and enduring contributions of Mr. Eero 
Saarinen to Missouri and the Nation.

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