[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 10674]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  MELISSA YORK, WINNER OF JAMES MADISON MEMORIAL FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP

 Mr. GORTON. Today, I would like to recognize Melissa York, a 
teacher from Tyee High School in Seatac. She has won Washington State's 
1999 James Madison Memorial Foundation Fellowship which will pay for 
her graduate school program.
  James Madison was perhaps the hardest working and most widely 
respected man of his day. Commonly hailed as the Father of our 
Constitution, Madison had more to do with its conception than any other 
man. He was the driving force in organizing the convention and in 
establishing the tone and ironing out each obstacle that threatened the 
success of the Constitution.
  Because of Madison's tremendous contributions to the creation of the 
Constitution, Congress decided to establish the Memorial Foundation 
Fellowship to recognize Americans who teach American history and the 
Constitution to our young people.
  Each day Melissa teaches eleventh and twelfth graders about the 
Constitution and how it is used in everyday life and how it is 
reflected in our society. The future of our country depends on today's 
students and on their knowledge and comprehension of our Constitution 
and government.
  She not only gives her students greater understanding of our country, 
but she also inspires her students to achieve more through her example. 
By continuing her own education, Melissa is showing her students that 
the educational process should never end.
  I applaud Melissa for her hard work and dedication to her profession 
and for her commitment to her students and to learning.

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