[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 26711]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 TRIBUTE TO MR. FRANK E. MATTHEWS, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 25, 1999

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Frank E. Matthews 
for his tremendous work for the River Cities Combined Federal Campaign, 
his many years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as well as the 
leadership and generosity that he has shown toward the City of 
Huntington and the State of West Virginia as a whole.
  At the Huntington District Corps of Engineers, Frank serves as 
executive officer to the district engineer--a position that he has held 
for 19 years. He adds much needed continuity and leadership to this 
constantly changing field.
  Despite his many responsibilities to the Army Corps, Frank still 
makes time for worthy causes such as the River Cities Combined Federal 
Campaign, where he has served as coordinator since 1966. Frank has been 
described as the glue that holds the River Cities' CFC campaign 
together. Always modest, Frank refuses to take credit for the 
campaign's success--preferring to attribute the success to his 
coworkers generosity. However, his internal auditing system is one of 
the many ideas that has turned the annual fund-raising drive into such 
a success. It gives the fundraiser credibility while assuring donors 
that their money is spent appropriately. The auditing system allows 
Frank to track funded agencies and ensure that money is spent properly. 
Anyone at anytime can look at the report to see where the money is 
going. Initiatives such as the auditing system explain how the River 
Cities' campaign has grown and blossomed into a highly successful fund-
raising drive under Frank's leadership. Just last year, Corps of 
Engineers employees donated $32,000 to the River Cities' CFC campaign, 
or almost 40 percent, to the campaign's overall total of $82,608.
  In addition to his official responsibilities, Frank is very active in 
his hometown community of Huntington, West Virginia and his list of 
activities reads like a Who's Who of area organizations. He is a member 
of the American Legion Post 16, the Elks and Rotary Clubs, the 
Huntington Museum of Art, the Marshall University Alumni Association, 
the Southside Neighborhood Association, and is a past commandant of the 
340 Marine Corps League. He has also served on the board of directors 
of the Region II Mental Health Association, the Boy Scouts of America 
Tri-State Area Council, and the Huntington Jaycees.
  I have had the privilege of knowing Frank for many years. I consider 
him a dear friend and am honored to have worked with him on behalf of 
West Virginia. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank 
Frank's wife, Jewell, his three married daughters, Maureen, Samantha, 
and Juliet, as well as his son, Matt, for sharing Frank with all of us.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge you and my colleagues in the House to join me in 
congratulating Frank on all of his hard work for West Virginia and the 
United States. He is truly a model of generosity and the epitome of a 
public servant.

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