[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 5] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 6162] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]TRIBUTE TO DR. JOSEPH J. JACOBS: ENTREPRENEUR, HUMANITARIAN, AND NOMINEE TO RECEIVE THE PRESIDENTIAL CITIZENS MEDAL ______ HON. NICK J. RAHALL II of west virginia in the house of representatives Tuesday, April 24, 2001 Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. Joseph J. Jacobs, an renowned entrepreneur who created the Joseph J. Jacobs Engineering Group many years ago. Dr. Jacobs is a chemical engineer by profession, who has over the years become an outstanding humanitarian, an economist, an educator, a philanthropist, and an author who wrote a book in 1995 entitled: The Compassionate Conservative which became the by-word of President George W. Bush's Administration. Above all, this proud Lebanese-American became a great good friend of mine. I have recently written to President George W. Bush asking him to award Joseph Jacobs the Presidential Citizens Medal, an award that recognizes citizens who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens and one that is awarded at the sole discretion of the President. Mr. Speaker I ask unanimous consent that my letter to President George W. Bush recommending that he award the Presidential Citizens Medal to Dr. Joseph Jacobs, be printed hereafter in the Congressional Record. On reading this letter, a tribute to Joseph J. Jacobs, my colleagues will be reminded of the numerous citizens in the United States who are sons and daughters of immigrants, who have worked hard to create businesses that in turn create jobs and good fortune for themselves and others. Dr. Joseph Jacobs, son of immigrants from Lebanon, has used his fortune to establish the Jacobs Family Foundation in order to perpetually give back to the citizens of the United States through education, through humanitarian services for underrepresented groups, and through love for his fellow human beings. April 17, 2001. Hon. George W. Bush, President, The White House, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. President: For many years it has been my distinct privilege to have as a good friend, Dr. Joseph J. Jacobs, Chairman of the Board, Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., in Pasadena, California, who is a great humanitarian who has contributed an abundance to society during his lifetime. I am writing to highly recommend a Presidential Citizens Medal for Dr. Jacobs which, in your discretion, you can award at any time during this year should you decide to do so (in accordance with Executive Order No. 11494 issued by then President Nixon). The Presidential Citizens Medal is awarded in recognition of citizens of the United States who have performed exemplary deeds of service for their country or their fellow citizens and is issued at your sole discretion. Dr. Joseph J. Jacobs is the founder and chair of the Jacobs Engineering Group of international renown with numerous worldwide divisions, is more than 50 years old. He built his company from a one-man chemical process consultancy to its present status as the leading engineering-construction company in the United States if not the world. For many years Dr. Jacobs served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Polytechnic University of New York (1974- 1984 and 1992 to 1994). The University has named the Administration building for Dr. Jacobs and a chair in the Chemical Engineering Department has been established in his and Mrs. Jacob's names. On April 29, 2001 Dr. Jacobs will be honored for his contributions to the St. Nicholas Home, a non-sectarian, non-profit nongovernmental support residence for the elderly in Brooklyn, New York. His contributions to the education system and humanitarian efforts in the area of his birth, marks Dr. Jacobs as a remarkable leader who gives back to society in recognition of the support he received over the years in making Jacobs Engineering Group one of the finest in the United States. The recipient of many awards in the Chemical Engineering world, Dr. Jacobs has established the Jacobs Family Foundation, which targets its philanthropy on the issues of community based economic development, youth and families at risk, Arab-American cultural awareness and access to educational and training opportunities for under represented groups. In addition to grant support, the Foundation provides technical assistance to non-profits in the areas of strategic planning, leadership development and fund raising. Dr. Jacobs is the author of numerous articles on Chemical Engineering and economics, and was a contributing author to the Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. Having made substantial contributions to the study of a number of serious social issues, one resulted in a highly praised PBS program aired in 1986 on ``The Problems of Aging Parents of Adult Children.'' In 1991, Dr. Jacobs completed his autobiography ``The Anatomy of an Entrepreneur: Family, Culture and Ethics'' from which we learn that he traces his high standards of morality and ethics back to the ethnic background of his family and the Lebanese American community in Brooklyn, NY where he was born and raised. Dr. Jacob's second book reflecting these values was entitled, ``The Compassionate Conservative'' published by Huntington House in 1995, and a second edition was published in December 1999; a book whose title you have made the by- word of your Administration. It is my profound hope that you will award the Presidential Citizens Medal to Dr. Joseph Jacobs in the coming year, an award that is made solely at your discretion. From the foregoing, and from the attached biography on Dr. Jacobs, I believe that you will agree that he is an exemplary man who deserves your recognition. I will look forward to your response to this sincere request on behalf of a wonderful man who has given much to the citizens of the United States throughout a lifetime of hard work and achievement. With warm regard, I am Sincerely, Nick J. Rahall II, Member of Congress. ____________________