[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 158 (Thursday, November 7, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7925-S7926]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JOHN BENJAMIN

 Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, one of the great 
natural treasures of my State, and of our Nation, is Carlsbad Caverns 
National Park. Underneath the Guadalupe Mountains, in southeastern New 
Mexico, lies one of the most spectacular caverns in the world. Will 
Rogers famously called it ``the Grand Canyon with a roof on it.''
  Since 2004, the park has been well served by Superintendent John 
Benjamin. I rise today to congratulate John on his retirement after 45 
years with the National Park Service.
  John's tenure with the Park Service has been a remarkable journey, 
and he has served with distinction every step of the way. He graduated 
from Syracuse University with a bachelor's degree in resource 
management and a master's degree in forestry. He then began his career 
at NPS in 1968 as a park naturalist at Dinosaur National Monument in 
Colorado and Utah.
  For over four decades, John has been an exemplary public servant at 
America's greatest wilderness and recreation

[[Page S7926]]

areas, including Lake Mead, Glacier National Park, Glen Canyon, the 
Everglades National Park, and the Grand Canyon. He served as deputy 
superintendent at Boston National Historical Park and Boston African 
American National Historic Site, and as superintendent of Lake Meredith 
National Recreation Area, prior to his time at Carlsbad Caverns.
  Throughout his career, John has reflected that he enjoyed every job 
he had and particularly his role as a mentor to others who would go on 
to serve the Park Service and the American people with the same 
dedication that he has demonstrated for so many years.
  In his book, The Quiet Crisis, my dad wrote the following:

       Each generation has its own rendezvous with the land, for 
     despite our fee titles and claims of ownership, we are all 
     brief tenants on this planet. By choice, or by default, we 
     will carve out a land legacy for our heirs. We can misuse the 
     land and diminish the usefulness of resources, or we can 
     create a world in which physical affluence and affluence of 
     the spirit go hand in hand.

  Public servants like John Benjamin make sure that our ``rendezvous 
with the land'' is a noble one and that our national treasures will be 
safeguarded for generations to come. John can look back on a career of 
great accomplishment and service. He exemplifies a legacy of 
professionalism and commitment that will continue to inspire others. I 
wish him and his wife, Deborah, much happiness in all their future 
endeavors.

                          ____________________