[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17360]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE 2002 OLIN E. TEAGUE AWARD RECIPIENTS DR. DOUGLAS 
                     NOFFSINGER AND DR. RORY COOPER

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 19, 2002

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, in a ceremony on Wednesday, 
September 18, 2002, in the Committee on Veterans' Affairs hearing room, 
Dr. Douglas Noffsinger, Chief, Office of Audiology and Speech 
Pathology, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, 
California, and Dr. Rory Cooper, Director, Rehabilitation Research and 
Development Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA, 
each received an Olin E. Teague Award for their efforts on behalf of 
disabled veterans.
  The Teague Award is presented annually to a VA employee (or 
employees) whose achievements have been of extraordinary benefit to 
veterans with service-connected disabilities, and is the highest honor 
presented by VA in the field of rehabilitation.
  Dr. Noffsinger was selected to receive this prestigious award in 
honor of his significant contributions to the rehabilitation of 
veterans with hearing loss, one of the most common disabilities 
resulting from military service. His efforts have been multi-faceted 
and include cutting-edge research, establishing national practice 
algorithms for selecting and fitting hearing aids, and developing 
guidelines to assure that all veterans needing hearing aids have equal 
access to treatment. Dr. Noffsinger is commended for his leadership 
role in formulating national clinical practice guidelines for selecting 
and fitting hearing aids that have been accepted as official policy by 
the professional associations that represent all private and public 
sector audiologists.
  Rory A. Cooper, Ph.D., was recognized with a Teague Award for his 
major contributions to the rehabilitation of paralyzed individuals, in 
the design of the modern wheelchairs, for his promotion of the 
understanding of secondary disabilities among wheelchair users, and for 
his persistent efforts to improve the availability of high quality 
products and services to veterans who use wheelchairs. Dr. Cooper's 
work has affected thousands of veterans by elevating the quality of the 
wheelchair produced by manufacturers and provided by the VA and other 
third party payers. Dr. Cooper is one of the world's foremost 
authorities in wheelchair design and technology. His impact on the 
lives of people with disabilities has been, and will continue to be, 
truly profound.
  Mr. Speaker, the name Olin E. ``Tiger'' Teague is synonymous with 
exemplary service to the Nation's veterans. The late Congressman Teague 
served on the Committee on Veterans' Affairs for 32 years, 18 of those 
years as its distinguished chairman. No one who worked with him on 
veterans' issues ever had to ask why he was called ``Tiger.'' He set 
the standards by which we can best serve all veterans. I know my 
colleagues join me in offering our deep appreciation to Dr. Noffsinger 
and Dr. Cooper for their concern, dedication, and innovation in meeting 
the special rehabilitation needs of veterans. We congratulate Dr. 
Noffsinger and Dr. Cooper for the excellence of their work and for the 
distinguished award they received.

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