[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 23529-23530]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   PAYING TRIBUTE TO JIM AND SUE WHEELER, ANGELS IN ADOPTION HONOREES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE ROGERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 22, 2002

  Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the 
accomplishments of Jim and Sue Wheeler of East Lansing, Michigan, who 
were chosen as the 2002 8th Congressional Angels in Adoption honorees.
  Jim and Sue Wheeler's personal dedication to raising 10 children, 
several of them adopted, makes them deserving of our respect and 
admiration.
  Each year, the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute honors 
families or organizations who have shown a real commitment to improving 
the lives of children through adoption. Jim and Sue Wheeler are the 
role model for families who care about children. Their long-range 
impact on this nation will be felt for decades and generations to come 
and I was honored to sponsor them for recognition as Angels in 
Adoption.
  The Wheelers are among 140 honorees from the 50 states who were 
recognized at special ceremonies in Washington, D.C. earlier this year.
  Jim and Sue Wheeler married in 1984. She was a professor at Michigan 
State University.
  ``We had an `ours-mine-yours' relationship,'' Jim told us. He had two 
children from a previous marriage and Sue had a daughter from a first 
marriage. Then they had a child together in 1986 and thought they were 
through.
  But the Wheelers decided they would like to have a larger family and 
thought maybe there were children out there who needed a home. Since 
then Jim and Sue have had six more children by adoption through 
Catholic Social Service of Lansing/St. Vincent Home. Their diverse 
family of 10 children now represents three races!
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this very 
special couple and their

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family. They are truly deserving of our respect and admiration.

                          ____________________