[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 151 (Thursday, November 29, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1831]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        ST. MARTHA'S CATHOLIC CHURCH AND SCHOOL OF PHILADELPHIA

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. MICHAEL G. FITZPATRICK

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 29, 2012

  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I was proud to join the people of St. 
Martha's Catholic Church and School of Philadelphia in honoring the 
life and achievements of former parishioner and alumnus Commander 
Christopher Ferguson.
  Commander Ferguson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his 
mother Mary Ann and step-father Norman now reside in Langhorne, Bucks 
County.
  Ferguson graduated from Archbishop Ryan High School, going on to 
receive his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from 
Drexel University, and earning a Master of Science in aeronautical 
engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1991.
  In 1986, Ferguson earned his Navy Wings and was ordered to the F-14 
Tomcat training squadron in Virginia Beach, VA. Later, he joined the 
``Red Rippers'' of VF-11, deploying to the North Atlantic, 
Mediterranean and Indian oceans onboard the USS Forrestal.
  In 1995, he joined the ``Checkmates'' of VF-211, completing a 
deployment to the Western Pacific and Persian Gulf enforcing the Iraqi 
no-fly zone on board the USS Nimitz. Throughout his military career, 
Commander Ferguson has earned many commendations, including the Legion 
of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Navy Strike-Flight Air Medal.
  In 1998, Ferguson reported to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, 
Texas, where he served as spacecraft communicator for the STS-118, 120, 
128 and 129 missions. He was also the pilot of STS-115, and commanded 
STS-126 and 135. In September 2010, he began training with a crew of 
four for a rescue mission that evolved into STS-135, a station cargo 
delivery flight that carried the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module 
``Raffaello.''
  Leading the final U.S. shuttle mission to the International Space 
Station, Commander Ferguson's final mission marked the end of a 30-year 
NASA program. The 33rd flight of the shuttle Atlantis was the 37th 
shuttle mission to the space station, and the 135th and final mission 
of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.
  Commander Ferguson is a decorated military officer and a 
distinguished member of NASA's historic shuttle program, and the people 
of Pennsylvania are proud to call him one of our own.

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