[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 8, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E555-E556]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING ROBERT H. TWISS, PH.D.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JARED HUFFMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 8, 2019

  Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 85th 
birthday of Dr. Robert H. Twiss and a lifetime of work promoting and 
progressing environmental stewardship in Marin County and the entire 
Bay Area.
  Born in Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Twiss and his family moved to 
Washington, then Oregon, and finally settled in San Jose, California, 
when Dr. Twiss was in the second grade. After attending Willow Glen 
High School, Dr. Twiss graduated from San Jose State University in 
1955, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Conservation. During this 
period, he proudly played the banjo for a band in San Francisco. He 
then honorably served in the Michigan Air National Guard and the United 
States Air Force as a tactical fighter pilot. He later earned both his 
Master's and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, School of Natural 
Resources.
  After completing his education, Dr. Twiss opened his own consulting 
company, which is still active today. In this capacity, he has 
consulted on projects for California's Attorney General, the United 
States Environmental Protection Agency, the California Department of 
Water Resources, and many other important agencies and environmental 
organizations.
  Dr. Twiss was Professor of Environmental Planning at The University 
of California, Berkeley from 1968 to 1994. In this role, Dr. Twiss 
taught new generations of environmentalists all aspects of the work 
including planning, research, and consulting. He was also involved in 
graduate-level instruction on ecological planning and environmental law 
and served in a variety of leadership roles including as Chair of the 
Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, and 
Chair of the Faculty of the College of Environmental Design. He also 
directed the Ph.D. program in Environmental Planning.
  Among his many contributions to research on environmental planning, 
Dr. Twiss was Faculty Principal Investigator for the Research Program 
in Environmental Planning and Geographic Systems at the University of 
California, which developed tools and programs to allow open access to 
geographic information on land use, natural resources, and became the 
world's first web-based geographic information system in 1993. Dr. 
Twiss, always wanting to share his knowledge and information with 
others, received the patent for his system and put it in the public 
domain for others to use and benefit from.
  Dr. Twiss enjoys spending time with his loving wife and partner Amy 
Skewes-Cox and their son Carson, along with his children Gregory and 
Gail from a previous marriage. He loves spending his time outside in 
nature hiking, sailing, and flying his own small plane. He is also 
known as an avid banjo and ukulele player, much to the delight of his 
friends and family.
  Madam Speaker, Dr. Twiss's leadership and vision has helped make 
remarkable strides towards maintaining and growing environmentally 
sustainable practices that will benefit the region and all who work to 
improve the environment for generations to come. Therefore,

[[Page E556]]

please join me in recognizing Dr. Robert H. Twiss on the occasion of 
his 85th birthday.

                          ____________________