[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 194 (Friday, December 16, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S8730]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                    TRIBUTE TO FRANKLIN OTIS CARROLL

 Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. President, I rise today to 
recognize and honor the public service of Mr. Franklin Otis Carroll, 
who is retiring from the U.S. Forest Service after 45 years of 
dedicated service to protecting our Nation's natural resources.
  Frank was born on September 18, 1952, to Franklin and Betty Carroll, 
in Flagstaff, AZ. Blessed with a gift for expressing his opinion, Frank 
believed early in life that he was destined to pursue a career in the 
legal profession. But as he worked to pay for school, he took a job 
with the National Park Service as a firefighter at southern Arizona's 
Saguaro National Monument. From then on, he sought to follow in his 
father's footsteps and care for the lands we all enjoy. He has since 
served in four National Parks and in Forest Service Regions 2, 3, and 
4--travelling from Arizona to Idaho to Minnesota before settling in the 
Black Hills of South Dakota.
  Frank earned a degree in history and English at the University of New 
Mexico and a Masters Degree in Public Administration at Boise State. He 
and Audrey, his wife of nearly 34 years, raised three girls--Jessica, 
Lauren and Merri--and are looking forward to spending more time with 
their seven grandchildren.
  Over the years, Frank has worked tirelessly to protect our public 
lands, first working on hand crews, then working his way up the ranks 
to becoming a top level fire boss. He has been a respected spokesman 
for forest health and land management practices that keep our lands 
green as we battle the Mountain Pine Beetle. Proactive in educating the 
public about our lands, Frank is the first person to pick up the phone 
to explain what is happening in the forest. During his tenure, Frank 
has built lifelong friendships with a wide variety of folks that 
continue to this day.
  Rick Cables, a former Regional Forester for Region 2 who has known 
Frank for 35 years, describes Frank as, ``one of the most passionate 
and dedicated individuals in protecting our public lands that I have 
ever known. He is a talented communicator whose unique gift for 
communicating allows him to convey complex forest issues in simple 
terms so all can understand. When the Black Hills National Forest was 
looking to establish its new Forest Advisory Board, I could think of no 
one better to help in the process. I remember telling the supervisor at 
the time, John Twiss, he's someone that will push you harder to 
communicate more than you may want.''
  Frank's life work has been the protection of public lands and he has 
done so with an intense love of the places where he lives. It is 
because of the work of people like Frank Carroll that the forest 
industry continues to thrive and maintain its crucial role throughout 
South Dakota.
  I am proud to recognize and honor Frank's service to the United 
States Forest Service and am delighted to join with his family and 
friends in congratulating him on his retirement. I wish Frank and 
Audrey all the best as they begin a new chapter in their lives.

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