[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Page 24148]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                  RECOGNITION OF THE SS WAYNE VICTORY

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I rise today to call my colleagues' 
attention to a new exhibit of artifacts from the SS Wayne Victory. The 
exhibit, which is located at Wayne State University in my home town of 
Detroit, MI, is being dedicated on Friday, October 8, 1999.
  The SS Wayne Victory was a so-called ``Victory Ship,'' one of several 
hundred ships built during the final two years of World War II to serve 
as cargo and troop transport vessels. The SS Wayne Victory was named 
for Wayne University, now known as Wayne State University. Commissioned 
in 1945, the SS Wayne Victory served in World War II, the Korean 
conflict and the Vietnam war.
  Thanks to the efforts of a Wayne State University alumnus, the 
contributions of the SS Wayne Victory to our armed forces will be 
celebrated for years to come. Many ships of its kind fell into disuse 
and were forgotten after their service. Fortunately, Joe Gerson, who 
grew up in Detroit and graduated from Wayne State University in 1951, 
located the SS Wayne Victory and negotiated with the federal government 
for the permanent loan of several artifacts from the ship to the 
university. These artifacts include the ship's bell, engine order 
telegraph, wheel, furniture, oars, life rings, and name board. Mr. 
Gerson also generously contributed funds which allowed the university 
to transport the artifacts to Detroit and to display them in the 
permanent exhibit being dedicated this Friday.
  Mr. President, the preservation of artifacts like those from the SS 
Wayne Victory is critical if we are to continue to learn from history. 
Thanks to Joe Gerson and Wayne State University, one small, but 
significant, piece of American military history will be available for 
people to study in the 21st century. I know my colleagues join me in 
extending Joe Gerson and Wayne State University our thanks and 
congratulations for their commitment to the preservation of the memory 
of the SS Wayne Victory's role in some of the most significant military 
conflicts in our nation's history.

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