[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24418]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO ROY J. NICHOLS FOR RECEIVING THE 2003 ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION 
                           HUMANITARIAN AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                    HON. ROBERT E. (BUD) CRAMER, JR.

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 8, 2003

  Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Roy Nichols of 
Huntsville for receiving the 2003 Arthritis Foundation Humanitarian 
Award. This award is given annually to a citizen of Huntsville and 
Madison County Alabama who has displayed exemplary community 
leadership.
  Mr. Nichols moved to Huntsville in 1973 as an employee of the 
McDonnell Douglas Corporation. In 1976, Mr. Nichols formed his own 
company, Nichols Research Corporation, a research and development 
business specializing in sensor, missile and information systems. Under 
the leadership of Mr. Nichols, his company quickly became known as a 
national leader, receiving numerous awards as one of the best small 
companies in the United States.
  Mr. Nichols retired from Nichols Research after it merged with the 
Computer Sciences Corporation in 1999. Today, Mr. Nichols is the Co-
Chairman and CEO of Torch Concepts, a company that specializes in 
content management and information mining. Torch Concepts is helping 
the Department of the Army identify terrorist threats and is becoming 
widely known for its development of technology that helps in the fight 
against terrorism.
  More importantly, in addition to his professional duties, Mr. Nichols 
has vigorously committed his time volunteering for many civic 
organizations in the North Alabama region.
  Mr. Speaker, Roy Nichols' leadership and his strong dedication to the 
community should serve as a model for everyone to follow. I would like 
to take this opportunity on behalf of the people of North Alabama, to 
congratulate Roy Nichols for being named the 2003 Arthritis Foundation 
Humanitarian Award winner.

                          ____________________