[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 60 (Monday, April 8, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E416-E417]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF LEIDOS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 8, 2019

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Chairman/CEO Roger 
Krone and the 32,000 employees of Leidos on the occasion of the 
company's 50th anniversary.
   Founded in 1969 by Dr. J. Robert Beyster as Science Applications 
Incorporated (SAI), the company that would become Leidos was a result 
of Dr. Beyster's lifelong commitment to innovation. Born in Detroit, 
Michigan in 1924 and raised in the midst of the Great Depression, Dr. 
Beyster watched as his family struggled through incredible hardships to 
provide for themselves. He joined the Navy after graduating from high 
school and served on a destroyer during World War II. With the help of 
the GI Bill, he attended the University of Michigan after his naval 
career and earned several degrees, including his Ph.D. in nuclear 
physics in 1950.
   After earning his doctorate, Dr. Beyster spent five years working at 
the Los Alamos National Laboratory before spending a dozen years with 
General Atomics in San Diego. His time there came to an end shortly 
after Gulf Oil acquired General Atomics. Dr. Beyster felt that senior 
management had little interest in the research his department was 
performing. He resolved to create a company where that would never be 
the case and which nurtured a culture of innovation and 
entrepreneurship. That vision led to the creation of SAI, which changed 
its name to SAIC in 1984.
   I served as Director of Community Relations for SAIC from 2002 to 
2008 and will always remember fondly my time with the company. I was 
pleased to be present in Congress in 2009 when SAIC made the decision 
to relocate its headquarters from San Diego to my district in Tysons. 
I'm not sure anyone, including Dr. Beyster, could have foreseen the 
growth that this company would experience. What began as a $50,000 loan 
with Dr. Beyster's house as collateral has evolved into a $7 billion 
Fortune 500 powerhouse. In 2013, SAIC bifurcated its company into two 
entities; Leidos, the solutions-focused parent company and a services 
business spin-off which carried on the SAIC name. I am confident that 
both of these companies will continue the fine legacy that has been 
left by Dr. Beyster, Roger Krone and so many others over the last 50 
years.
   The impact of Leidos and SAIC is not solely confined to a profit 
margin or a balance sheet. Both companies have received numerous 
accolades for their work in their communities, including being named 
one of the Best Places to Work by the Human Rights Campaign in 2017, 
receiving an Annual Corporate Equality Index Score of 100 percent and 
being named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere 
Institute just last year. When I served as Director of Community 
Relations, I saw firsthand the engagement in and care for the community 
that SAIC/Leidos exhibited. The community was not merely where their 
facilities were located; it was their home and they treated it 
accordingly. We could all stand to learn from their example.

[[Page E417]]

   Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating 
Leidos on this momentous occasion and in wishing them great success in 
all their future endeavors. I have no doubt that they will continue 
their myriad contributions to our economy, our government and our 
community for many more decades to come.

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