[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19890]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING HOWARD CASH AND GENE CODES CORPORATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN D. DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 25, 2003

  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and celebrate 
President Howard Cash and the employees of Gene Codes Corporation on 
their inexhaustible efforts and immense accomplishments in identifying 
the remains of those killed at the World Trade Center in New York on 
September 11, 2001. Over the course of the past few years, Mr. Cash and 
the Gene Codes employees have proven themselves to be truly amazing 
under some of the most challenging circumstances imaginable.
  On September 26, 2001, Mr. Cash and his employees responded to a call 
to service when the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner 
requested that the Gene Codes Corporation assist in the process of 
identifying the victims of the World Trade Center terrorist attack. The 
challenge was to create software capable of matching DNA extracted from 
thousands of remains at Ground Zero to the list of close to 3000 
missing persons. Motivated by the anguish caused by the horrific 
attacks on our country, the Gene Codes staff unanimously agreed to 
undertake a complex project that was proving to be impossible using 
current technology. Moreover, Gene Codes decided to complete the 
project at cost. As a consequence, the Corporation suffered its first 
unprofitable quarter in eight-and-a-half years.
  As thousands of families anxiously awaited the results, the entire 
technical staff began working solely on the Trade Center project, thus 
committing to extremely long hours and a great deal of emotional wear 
and tear. The employees' inexhaustible labor and long hours epitomize 
the indomitable spirit and unity of the American people. The precision 
and effectiveness of their software, Mass Fatality Identification 
System (M-FISys), embodies the limitless dedication and expertise of 
the Gene Codes staff.
  Howard Cash and his corporation have been at the forefront of 
commercial bioinformatics developments since 1984. Former Michigan 
Governor John Engler appointed Howard Cash to the Michigan State 
Commission on Genetics, Privacy and Progress in 1997. In addition, Gene 
Codes was named one of the Future 50 of Greater Detroit in 2002. Howard 
Cash's leadership, patriotism and perseverance earned him the title of 
Entrepreneur of the Year in 2002 by both the New Enterprise Forum and 
Ernst & Young, and Person of the year in the Genome Technology All-Star 
Awards. Furthermore, in 2003 Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm 
nominated Gene Codes Corporation for the National Medal of Technology.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and all of my colleagues join me in 
congratulating Mr. Howard Cash and his employees on their 
accomplishments and in wishing them many more years of success and 
service. The selfless acts of this amazing group of people should be 
commended. Through their teamwork, dedication and perseverance, these 
men and women have truly shown the nation what it means to be a hero.

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