[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 17, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S5691]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JOHN HOGANSON

 Ms. HEITKAMP. Mr. President, I wish to honor John Hoganson who 
retired at the end of July after 33 years of dedicated service to the 
State of North Dakota with the North Dakota Geologic Survey.
  John traces his love for discovery and earth science back to his 
childhood in eastern North Dakota. As a child, John could be found with 
his father's claw hammer breaking open rocks in an attempt to discover 
the mysteries that lay inside. As a young adult, his passion and 
curiosity helped him graduate from North Dakota State University and 
eventually to earn a doctorate in geology with an emphasis in 
paleontology from the University of North Dakota.
  He began his career in public service as a geologist with the 
Geologic Survey. The position later transitioned when he was tasked 
with formulating a fossil resource management plan for the State. John 
would later go on to serve as our State's first paleontologist, a 
position he held for 25 years.
  John was instrumental in securing passage of two landmark pieces of 
legislation in the North Dakota State legislature that helped to 
protect our State's fossil resources and created a state fossil 
collection. Under John's leadership, North Dakota's fossil collection 
has grown from a small collection of bones to one that now numbers in 
the hundreds of thousands. One of the top finds includes a 67-million-
year-old Edmontosaurus, a duck-billed dinosaur, with intact fossilized 
skin, who has been affectionately named Dakota. Dakota is one of only a 
handful of dinosaurs in existence to have preserved skin. Dakota has 
been regarded by experts as one of the more important discoveries in 
recent times because he may be the best-preserved Edmontosaurus found 
to date. He also created a public dig program which has brought in 
volunteers from across the country and around the world to assist with 
digs.
  In addition to his work for the State, John has also been a valuable 
teacher and mentor, spending countless hours engaging students of all 
ages and the general public around the State in hands-on educational 
experiences. Without John's passion and commitment, many North Dakotans 
would have never been aware of our State's rich paleontological 
history. He has been pivotal in the creation of curriculum for the 
North Dakota Studies project, and the 24 fossil exhibits in museums and 
visitors centers across the State.
  In evidence to his lifelong commitment to discovery, John will be 
continuing his work with fossils by completing some research projects 
and writing papers for scientific journals. I want to thank John for 
his years of dedication and service as an advocate for paleontology and 
as a teacher to the people of North Dakota. I wish him the best in his 
new endeavors and a happy and full retirement.

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