[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 24474-24475]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



        CONGRATULATIONS DAN WENK, SUPERINTENDENT OF MT. RUSHMORE

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate Dan 
Wenk, former Superintendent of Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. Dan was 
recently promoted and is currently serving the National Park Service as 
the director of the Denver Service Center.
  Dan started serving as Superintendent of Mt. Rushmore 16 years ago. 
Over the past 16 years, Dan has had oversight over numerous big events, 
including the 50th anniversary observance in 1991, which was a national 
observance that highlighted the

[[Page 24475]]

memorial's significance as this country's `Shrine of Democracy'. 
President George Bush, actor Jimmy Stewart and many other national and 
statewide celebrities took part in the event.
  In recent years, Mount Rushmore has also been placed on the national 
stage with its awesome and impressive Independence Day fireworks 
celebration. Thousands of people descend upon the monument around the 
July 4th holiday to listen to patriotic music, witness one of the 
Nation's best fireworks displays and unite in a patriotic spirit.
  During his tenure, Wenk helped showcase Mount Rushmore National 
Memorial to a worldwide audience, numbering in excess of two million 
visitors annually. These visitors have included presidents, cabinet 
members, members of Congress, and national celebrities. But I know 
Dan's biggest reward came in visiting with the general public and 
answering countless questions from inquiring folks of all ages.
  In recent years, Dan shepherded a massive $30 million renovation 
project to redesign outdated facilities and expand the visitor 
experience at the memorial. The expanded amphitheater, the Lincoln 
Borglum Museum and the Presidential Trail are just a few of the 
renovations that marked this project. Expanded and renovated parking, 
dining and gift shop facilities greet today's visitors to Mount 
Rushmore.
  Over the years, Dan has not been afraid to tackle challenging issues 
affecting Mount Rushmore. He has dealt with the occasional protester 
and anthrax threat. As the renovation took several years to complete, 
Dan recognized the importance of continued leadership to oversee the 
project. It was very important to communicate the status of the project 
and the intricacies of the rebuilding phases to the local citizenry, 
many of whom were skeptical of any changes made to the memorial. At 
times, during the renovation and parking fee debates, Dan tackled the 
challenge of keeping the local public informed, addressed opponents' 
questions and letters to the editor, and even answered the occasional 
congressional inquiry--all with calmness, all with a professional 
attitude and all with a dedication to the final goal, which was 
completion of a massive renovation to one of this nation's most prized 
symbols. As if overseeing the political wrangling was not enough, Dan 
would sometimes get away from it all and come down from the mountain to 
don a striped shirt and officiate local basketball games. I do not know 
which was the bigger challenge: dealing with intricate construction 
details and the occasional verbal or written jab, or whistling a foul 
in the final seconds of a tightly-contested high school basketball game 
between city rivals.
  Dan's responsibilities for his new position will include the 
oversight of planning, design and construction in national parks 
throughout the United States. Although this is a big loss for Mt. 
Rushmore and South Dakota, I know his experience and leadership will 
benefit the entire country. Dan and I started roughly at the same time. 
I was first elected to Congress in 1986 and Dan started at Mt. Rushmore 
in 1985. It has been an honor for me and my staff to work with Dan and 
his staff, and he will be sorely missed. I have appreciated Dan's 
insight, honesty and professional attitude over the years. I look 
forward to continuing my relationship with Dan in his new position and 
I know that he will show the same professionalism in Denver that he 
showed in South Dakota.
  Congratulations Dan and I wish you and your family the best of luck 
in Denver and in your new position.

                          ____________________