[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 21883]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    TRIBUTE TO COLONEL TERRY WILCUTT

 Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Kentuckian Terry Wilcutt on the occasion of his recent journey to the 
International Space Station as commander of the space shuttle Atlantis.
  Congratulations to Colonel Wilcutt, on achieving the kind of academic 
and professional success it takes to receive the honor of commanding a 
flight into space. Colonel Wilcutt has flown to space not once, but 
four times, and on two such flights he has held the title of mission 
commander. I, along with my fellow Kentuckians, am certainly proud to 
call him one of Kentucky's own. His accomplishments speak well for his 
home state as well as his alma mater, Western Kentucky University.
  Colonel Wilcutt is a Kentuckian, born and bred. He was born in 
Russellville, KY, graduated from Louisville's Southern High School in 
1967, and is a 1974 graduate of Western Kentucky University with a 
bachelor of arts degree in math. Colonel Wilcutt taught high school 
math for 2 years and then entered the Marine Corps. While in the Marine 
Corps, he attended the notorious ``Topgun'' Naval Fighter Weapons 
School, achieved honors at every level of pilot training and has logged 
over 4,400 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft.
  Colonel Wilcutt's career in aeronautics began in 1990 when he was 
selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, to 
become an astronaut. Prior to his September 2000 trip to space, Colonel 
Wilcutt flew on three missions to space and logged more than 724 hours 
in space.
  On behalf of myself and my colleagues in the Senate, I congratulate 
you on your accomplishments. Only a handful of Americans reach the 
level of excellence required and receive the honor of being selected to 
lead missions into space. Colonel Wilcutt, I am proud of you, your 
fellow Kentuckians are proud of you, and your alma mater of Western 
Kentucky University is proud of you. Thank you for your brave service 
to our country, and best wishes for further success in the 
future.

                          ____________________