[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 377]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO ROBERT K. KRICK

 Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, today I honor Mr. Robert K. Krick 
on his recent retirement from the National Park Service and for his 
distinguished career as a Civil War historian and preservationist. Mr. 
Krick joined the National Park Service in 1966, working both at Fort 
McHenry National Monument and Fort Necessity National Battlefield. In 
1972, he became the Chief Historian at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania 
National Military Park. It is a position he held for twenty-nine years 
until his retirement last month.
  During his tenure at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military 
Park--an area which comprises four battlefields--the total amount of 
park acreage grew from under 3000 to over 8000 today. Nearly half of 
all the historians at Civil War battlefield parks learned their trade 
under Bob Krick. His contributions to the preservation of historic land 
are numerous. Bob's tireless efforts to expand and improve the National 
Park Service will continue to be appreciated by the millions of 
individuals who visit these historic areas each year.
  Although preservation of Civil War battlefields was a large part of 
Bob's career, he found the time to become a distinguished author and 
scholar. He has written 12 books, including ``Stonewall Jackson at 
Cedar Mountain,'' and ``Conquering the Valley: Stonewall Jackson at 
Cross Keys and Port Republic, as well as countless articles and book 
reviews. His works will undoubtedly influence future generations.
  More than a decade ago I began touring various battlefields with Bob 
and several other Civil War historians. We relived Jackson's battles of 
the 1862 campaign and retraced the Union campaign of 1864. With Bob by 
my side, I was able to visualize the 1862 battles and could feel 
Jackson's presence. I came away from the trip with the strong feeling 
that it was my responsibility as a U.S. Senator to help preserve this 
part of our national heritage. Since that time I have been dedicated to 
preserving our Nation's most cherished and sacred lands. As a first 
step, I introduced legislation that directed the Park Service to 
undertake a study of Civil War sites. Congress responded by passing 
legislation, in 1991, that created a national Civil War Sites Advisory 
Commission. Composed of distinguished historians, supported by a staff 
of National Park Service experts, the commission for two years studied 
the remaining Civil War Battlefields. The 1993 report presented a plan 
of action for protecting what remained of the Civil War Battlefields. 
Since 1993, I have helped to secure $19 million in Federal funds to 
preserve these priceless links to America's past.
  Although much work has been done in the last decade to preserve 
battlefields, there is a lot to do as our nation's history is still 
being demolished and bulldozed at an alarming pace. Bob will continue 
to be a preservation leader as a Board member of the Richmond 
Battlefields Association. I look forward to working with and calling 
upon Bob for advice in the future.

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