[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 4 (Thursday, January 7, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E19]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO STUART O. WITT

                                  _____
                                 

                          HON. STEPHEN KNIGHT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 7, 2016

  Mr. KNIGHT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of a man who 
dedicated his life to the continued advancement of American aerospace.
  Witt was born in Bakersfield, California and raised on the Scodie 
Ranch in the Kern River Valley. He graduated from Cal State Northridge 
in 1974, from the Naval Aviation Schools Command in 1976 and from the 
Naval Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN training) in 1980. He is also a 
1996 graduate of the University of Maryland's Center for Creative 
Leadership.
  Upon graduating college, Witt embarked on a storied military career 
in the Navy, where he spent time as an F-14 Tomcat pilot based on the 
U.S.S. John F. Kennedy and as an FA-18A Hornet project pilot at the 
Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake, CA. After the Navy, Witt 
continued to fly professionally for nearly nine years as an engineering 
test pilot on the B-1B, F-16C and F-23. In 1993 he joined Computer 
Technology Associates, where he managed a $100-million contract as 
Executive Vice President.
  Since 2002, Witt was CEO and General Manager of the Mojave Air & 
Space Port, which lies just outside of my district, where he was the 
defining factor in making that Port the crucial institution that it is 
today. In addition to his efforts at Mojave, Witt also served as the 
Chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) from 2012-2014 
where he worked tirelessly to promote the development of commercial 
human spaceflight and to bring about a 21st century space age for 
America.
  I have worked with Stu on multiple occasions to develop legislation 
that would allow the commercial space industry to innovate and expand 
in the state of California, and can attest to his skills as a pioneer 
and leader. His legacy will be felt by space lovers, entrepreneurs, and 
explorers for generations.

                          ____________________