[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 126 (Tuesday, September 18, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1549]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING SARKIS TATIGIAN

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 18, 2012

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask the House of 
Representatives to join me in recognizing Sarkis Tatigian, who will 
celebrate 70 years of combined military and federal civil service on 
September 26, 2012. At the age of 90, Mr. Tatigian shows no signs of 
slowing down. Retirement eligible since 1973, he still finds work far 
more exciting than the prospect of retirement. As Associate Director of 
the Small Business Programs Office at Naval Sea Systems Command 
(NAVSEA) he is not only a champion for the Navy's mission critical work 
but also for providing opportunities for small business growth and 
development.
  Mr. Tatigian has always been fascinated by the possibilities of the 
world around him. In fact, his hobby of radio communication led to his 
career in the Navy. In July 1942, he took the oath of office for a war 
service appointment as a Jr. Inspector of Radio at the Naval Aircraft 
Factory in the Philadelphia Navy Yard. In 1944, Mr. Tatigian arrived in 
Washington, D.C. to work as part of the Navy's BAT program which was 
developing an aircraft-launched air-to-surface radar-guided glide bomb 
being developed for use in the war. The BAT became operational in 
January 1945 as the first naval aircraft-launched guided weapon.
  After leaving military service in 1946, Mr. Tatigian returned to the 
Navy as a civil service employee with the Bureau of Ordinance in 
Washington, D.C. He began his distinguished career as a small business 
analyst for the bureau. While in this position, Mr. Tatigian developed 
a Small Business Mobile Exhibit that traveled coast-to-coast visiting 
state capitals and cities with populations exceeding 400,000, and 
received congressional recognition for his organizational efforts on 
the exhibit.
  In June 1979, he was appointed Associate Director of the Small and 
Disadvantaged Business Utilization Office, the position he continues to 
hold today in the current NAVSEA Small Business Programs Office. The 
experience and technical background Mr. Tatigian gained from serving 
his country allow him to interface with the engineering and technical 
communities at NAVSEA with great ease and understanding, another 
benefit of his long and distinguished career. Mr. Tatigian has received 
numerous awards including the U.S. Navy's Meritorious Civilian Service 
Award.
  Although an expert in business processes, he is still committed to 
finding innovative yet strategic ways to prepare his office for the 
future. When asked why he continues to work, Tatigian responds, ``If 
you love what you do, it's not really work.'' I ask the House to join 
me in commending Sarkis Tatigian for his outstanding accomplishments as 
a federal employee and his continued commitment to the work of the 
Navy.

                          ____________________