[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 135 (Friday, September 19, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1461]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HIGHLIGHTING THE VALUE OF TOURISM THROUGH LITERATURE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRADLEY BYRNE

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 18, 2014

  Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor two outstanding English 
professors for their innovative contributions toward promoting tourism 
through literature.
   First, Professor Mary S. Palmer's short story ``Raisin' Cain'' 
recently won the Southeastern Literary Tourism Initiative Tourism 
Writing Contest Award.
   Professor Palmer's story highlighted the family-friendly nature of 
Mobile's Mardi Gras and was published online at the Southeastern 
Literary Tourism Initiative's website. The story includes photos and 
tourism links at the end so readers can learn how to visit the real 
Mardi Gras parades and other nearby Mobile attractions included in the 
inspiring story.
   I also want to recognize Dr. Sue Walker who currently teaches 
tourism writing to several of her English classes at the University of 
South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama.
   Dr. Walker is using the examples of tourism writing from this 
initiative to challenge her students to compose original short works of 
literature that encourage their readers to visit the actual places 
included in the stories.
   Mr. Speaker, on Alabama's Gulf Coast, we know just how important 
tourism is to our local economies. I proudly support any effort to 
encourage tourism in our region, and I especially applaud innovative 
methods in the classroom, like tourism writing. Professor Palmer and 
Dr. Walker have found a unique way to highlight the heritage and 
culture of South Alabama while providing an enriching experience for 
their students.
   I hope my colleagues in the House will invite their state's writers 
and teachers to take a look at what is going on in Mobile and consider 
ways to incorporate these types of college courses into their 
curriculum, and in turn, highlight their state's unique tourism 
attractions.
   I will be honored to present Professor Palmer with the 2014 SELTI 
Tourism Fiction Award on October 15 at the Mobile Carnival Museum, and 
I am excited to highlight these types of innovative teaching methods.

                          ____________________