[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 23245-23246]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                          HONORING JOANN WARD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. THOMAS E. PETRI

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 29, 1999

  Mr. PETRI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to JoAnn Ward, executive 
director of the Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Convention and Visitors Bureau, 
who will retire this Friday, October 1 after more than 22 years of 
service.
  As Bureau executive, JoAnn's job has included marketing the city of 
Fond du Lac and its environs as a desirable tourist and convention 
destination. It is a task she has accomplished so well, and with such 
creativity and leadership, that it can be said with no exaggeration 
that her stamp has left a lasting imprint on the character of the 
community.
  The considerable economic impact from tourism and convention dollars 
on the Fond du Lac area during her tenure is a significant and tangible 
result of JoAnn Ward's efforts. But perhaps more telling than the 
bottom-line success story are the personal characteristics that

[[Page 23246]]

engendered that success--JoAnn's gift for innovative ideas her keen 
sense of the public's tastes and preferences, and her amazing ability 
to enlist volunteers to share her vision and accomplish common goals.
  Over 20 years ago, her imagination inspired the creation of Walleye 
Weekend, Fond du Lac's signature festival that draws hundreds of 
volunteers and tens of thousands of festival goers to the city's 
Lakeside Park each June. JoAnn has either originated or taken a lead 
role in developing and enhancing scores of other Fond du Lac area 
special events and festivals, including the annual Taste of Fond du 
Lac, the Fond du Lac Jazz Festival and the International Acrobatic 
Competition, which has been hosted by Fond du Lac the past 29 years.
  She has built attractions centered around the natural beauty of the 
area and the unique assets of its residents, and has helped the many 
businesses that depend on conventions and tourism to capitalize on 
their strengths. A tireless worker and consummate promoter of both her 
community and the state of Wisconsin, JoAnn Ward has never accepted 
limits on her ability to try out new ideas or strive for new levels of 
achievement.
  JoAnn's influence has extended beyond Fond du Lac to larger 
metropolitan areas and to national and international organizations. A 
recipient of the Wisconsin Tourism Federation's Award for Outstanding 
Contributions, she was appointed by Governor Tommy Thompson to the 
state's prestigious Sesquicentennial Commission, which over a three-
year period organized and oversaw planning for the huge, multifaceted 
150th celebration of Wisconsin's statehood in 1998.
  In 1995, she served as the Sixth District delegate to the White House 
Conference on Tourism. And in 1997, JoAnn was inducted into the 
International Festival & Events Association's Hall of Fame.
  But it is at home where her impact has been most keenly felt. JoAnn 
has succeeded in making my hometown of Fond du Lac not only a desirable 
travel destination but a better place to live. It is testament to her 
stature in the Fond du Lac community that her retirement announcement 
was not only front page news, but the main headline in the daily 
newspaper. A later editorial stated, ``It will take a rare combination 
of enterprise, persuasiveness, grace and good humor to build a 
successor for this woman who has done so much for Fond du Lac.''
  I am proud to call attention to the many accomplishments of my 
friend, JoAnn Ward, and join the members of the Fond du Lac community 
in honoring her as she continues to pursue new horizons.

                          ____________________