[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6290-6291]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    TRIBUTE TO MR. RICHARD CHRISTMAS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE ROGERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 25, 2001

  Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the 
accomplishments of Mr.

[[Page 6291]]

Richard Christmas of Lansing, Michigan. Mr. Christmas has been writing 
letters for over forty years to government officials in an attempt to 
set aside a day dedicated to space exploration. Over the years his 
letter writing campaign has payed great dividends. Ten Michigan cities, 
sixteen cities in other states, and a few states have dedicated a day, 
and sometimes a week for space exploration.
  Mr. Christmas has always had an interest in space ever since he was a 
young boy. However, due to a severe accident he was forced to put his 
space ambitions on hold. After his recovery he started to write letters 
to government officials. At first there were few replies but as the 
United States Space Program gained momentum so did his letter-writing 
campaign. He has received several letters from mayors and governors 
commending him on his continuous effort and dedication to space 
exploration.
  Today, Mr. Christmas wants more cities to become involved with making 
space exploration a national holiday. With the National Air and Space 
Museum's 25th anniversary around the corner, this would be a perfect 
time to promote Space Day across the country and I encourage my 
colleagues to support the efforts of my civic-minded constituent, Mr. 
Richard Christmas.

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