[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 148 (Monday, September 23, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E941-E942]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING PROFESSOR GREGORY KASTER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ILHAN OMAR

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 23, 2024

  Ms. OMAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Professor 
Gregory Lawrence Kaster. Professor Kaster was a beloved educator and 
community member, who left an indelible mark on all who knew him.
  A Chicago Native, Professor Kaster attended Northern Illinois 
University in Park Forest, Illinois to earn his Bachelor of Arts and 
Master's degrees, then earned his doctorate from Boston University. 
While there he met his best friend and soon to be wife, Kate 
Wittenstein, with whom he would have celebrated 40 years of marriage 
this fall.
  Greg and Kate had a shared passion for Liberal Arts and lifelong 
dedication to making the world a better place. In 1986, they both 
became professors in the History Department at Gustavus Adolphus 
College in St. Peter, Minnesota. Together they helped to develop the 
History Department into what it is today, and Professor Kaster would 
teach there for the rest of his life.
  Professor Kaster had many teaching and research interests, including 
the history of labor, the 1960s, masculinity in America, abolitionism, 
the Civil War, dissent, and many more. In 2018, he received the Edgar 
M. Carlson Award--the College's highest teaching honor. He was also the 
inaugural holder of the

[[Page E942]]

James and Patricia McPherson Endowed Professor of American History 
position from 2019 to 2023. Throughout his distinguished tenure, he was 
known as a trusted advocate, mentor, and friend to students and faculty 
alike.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the life 
of Professor Kaster. His powerful legacy will live on through his loved 
ones and the generations of students whose lives he touched.

                          ____________________