[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 22574]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



            TECKLENBURG NAMED PRESIDENT OF BELL ASSOCIATION

 Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize an 
outstanding South Carolina native, Michael Tecklenburg, who has been 
named president of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf 
and Hard of Hearing. I have had the privilege of knowing Michael and 
his family in Charleston for many years and I can't think of an 
individual more deserving of this honor.
  As a young child, Michael was initially diagnosed as being mentally 
disabled, but his parents recognized their son's abilities and did not 
give up until doctors discovered his true condition--deafness. Michael 
went on to excel in his studies at St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf in 
St. Louis and later at the University of South Carolina Honors College. 
In 1989, he became the first deaf graduate of Columbia Law School.
  Since 1999, Michael has been the Washington, D.C. director of the 
South Carolina Governor's Office. Prior to joining the Governor's 
staff, Michael practiced law with the Washington firm of Verner, 
Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand. He has also served as 
litigation counsel of the U.S. Department of Justice's anti-trust 
division and as assistant counsel in the Presidential Personnel Office.
  At 37, Michael is the youngest person to serve as the Bell 
Association's president, a small fact that attests to his very large 
talent. I have no doubt that he will guide the Association to many 
successes during his two-year tenure. He is a credit to South Carolina 
and to the Nation.

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