[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 29 (Friday, February 24, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E237]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING MR. PETER SHIPMAN UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DANIEL E. LUNGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 24, 2012

  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of 
his retirement on March 2, we rise to thank Peter Shipman for his 32 
years of outstanding service to the U.S. House of Representatives.
  Peter graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1976 with a 
degree in furniture design and subsequently worked for Gift 
Construction building decks.
  Peter came to the House November 1, 1979, when he was hired by the 
Cabinet Shop. His first task was to repair broken chairs from various 
House offices and over time he demonstrated his remarkable talent for 
constructing new House furniture.
  Over the next several years he artfully designed, built, and repaired 
numerous pieces of House furniture. By 1996, Peter had worked his way 
up to Assistant Foreman and eventually became Foreman. His list of 
accomplishments include the construction of the Speaker's chair for the 
House Floor, the construction of a beautiful hand-painted ``Hummingbird 
Desk'' for one particular Member, and two special display cabinets for 
another. He was also responsible for the design and supervision of the 
House Floor elevating lecterns, a sideboard for the Speaker, and a 
workstation for one of our House Officers. He has trained many 
employees over his tenure as a master cabinet maker teaching furniture 
design as well as construction and repair techniques. For the last four 
years, he has served as the Manager of the House Cabinet Shop where he 
passed on his wealth of knowledge and talent to his employees and 
mentored the staff.
  On a more personal note, he has always been interested in team sports 
and played with many of his co-workers on the House Rockers softball 
team during the 80s in the Congressional Softball League. After 
retirement, Peter plans to continue with his woodworking and spend more 
time with his family.
  On behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives, we personally 
congratulate Peter on his retirement and thank him for all he has done 
for this institution. We wish Peter the best in all his future 
endeavors.

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