[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 194 (Wednesday, December 14, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1280-E1281]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING THE SERVICE AND RETIREMENT OF RICHARD OBERMANN

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 14, 2022

  Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a 
valued staff member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, 
Richard ``Dick'' Obermann, who is retiring this month after 33 years of 
service to the House of Representatives.
  Dick Obermann began his career in the House in 1990, as the Science 
Advisor for the Space Subcommittee on the Committee on Science, Space, 
and Technology. He was well qualified for the position, holding both a 
M.S.E. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford and a B.S.E. and 
Ph.D. in Aerospace and Mechanical Sciences from Princeton University. 
Before working at the Committee, Dick worked on the technical staff at 
the MITRE Corporation and as a senior program officer at the National 
Research Council. Dick worked on space policy issues for his entire 33 
years on the Committee, and he is generally regarded as one of the 
foremost space policy experts in the United States.
  I was elected to Congress in 1992, and I began my service on the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in that same year. I have 
known Dick Obermann for 30 years. During my time on the Committee, I

[[Page E1281]]

have always known Dick to be a consummate professional with an exacting 
attention to detail and a passion for ensuring the success of America's 
space program. When I took over as the Ranking Democrat on the 
Committee, my first action was to name Dick the Chief of Staff. In the 
ensuing 12 years as my Chief of Staff, Dick guided the Committee staff 
through many successes, culminating in the passage this year of the 
CHIPS and Science Act, the largest and most comprehensive legislation 
in the Committee's history.
  After three decades of service, I am happy that Dick will have some 
well-deserved time for rest and relaxation. I know he will appreciate 
having more time to spend with his beloved wife, Grace and his two 
children Pearl and John. But I also know that Dick is not one to hold 
still for too long, and I'm sure he will have success in any of his 
future endeavors.
  We often speak of the dedicated staff who make this institution such 
a wonderful place in which to work. Dick Obermann is just such a 
person. His decades of public service have made this institution a 
better place. His efforts as a space policy professional were 
instrumental in ensuring the many successes of our nation's space 
program. But most of all, his sound counsel and friendship have made my 
time in Congress all the better. I thank Dick for his many years of 
dedicated and loyal service.

                          ____________________