[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 4862-4863]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  STATEMENTS ON SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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 SENATE RESOLUTION 68--RECOGNIZING THE BICENTENNIAL OF OHIO'S FOUNDING

  Mr. VOINOVICH (for himself and Mr. DeWine) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                               S. Res. 68

       Whereas Ohio residents will celebrate 2003 as the 200th 
     anniversary of Ohio's founding;
       Whereas Ohio was the 17th State to be admitted to the Union 
     and was the first to be created from the Northwest Territory;
       Whereas the name ``Ohio'' is derived from the Iroquois word 
     meaning ``great river'', referring to the Ohio River which 
     forms the southern and eastern boundaries;
       Whereas Ohio was the site of battles of the American Indian 
     Wars, French and Indian Wars, Revolutionary War, the War of 
     1812, and the Civil War;
       Whereas in the nineteenth century, Ohio, a free State, was 
     an important stop on the Underground Railroad as a 
     destination for more than 100,000 individuals escaping 
     slavery and seeking freedom;
       Whereas Ohio, ``The Mother of Presidents'', has given eight 
     United States presidents to the Nation, including William 
     Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James 
     A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William H. 
     Taft, and Warren G. Harding;
       Whereas Ohio inventors, including Thomas Edison 
     (incandescent light bulb), Orville and Wilbur Wright (first 
     in flight), Henry Timken (roller bearings), Charles Kettering 
     (automobile starter), Charles Goodyear (process of 
     vulcanizing rubber), Garrett Morgan (traffic light), and Roy 
     Plunkett (Teflon) created the basis for modern living as we 
     know it;
       Whereas Ohio, ``The Birthplace of Aviation'', has been home 
     to 24 astronauts, including John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, and 
     Judith Resnick;
       Whereas Ohio has a rich sports tradition and has produced 
     many sports legends, including Annie Oakley, Jesse Owens, Cy 
     Young, Jack Nicklaus, and Nancy Lopez;
       Whereas Ohio has produced many distinguished writers, 
     including Harriet Beecher Stowe, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Toni 
     Morrison, and James Thurber;
       Whereas the agriculture and agribusiness industry is and 
     has long been the number one industry in Ohio, contributing 
     $73,000,000,000 annually to Ohio's economy and employing 1 in 
     6 Ohioans, and that industry's tens of thousands of Ohio 
     farmers and 14,000,000 acres of Ohio farmland feed the people 
     of the State, the Nation, and the world;
       Whereas the enduring manufacturing economy of Ohio is 
     responsible for \1/4\ of Ohio's Gross State Product, provides 
     over one million well-paying jobs to Ohioans, exports 
     $26,000,000,000 in products to 196 countries, and provides 
     over $1,000,000,000 in tax revenues to local schools and 
     governments;
       Whereas Ohio is home to over 140 colleges and universities 
     which have made significant contributions to the intellectual 
     life of the State and Nation, and continued investment in 
     education is Ohio's promise to future economic development in 
     the ``knowledge economy'' of the 21st century;
       Whereas, from its inception, Ohio has been a prime 
     destination for people from all corners of the world, and the 
     rich cultural and

[[Page 4863]]

     ethnic heritage that has been interwoven into the spirit of 
     the people of Ohio and that enriches Ohio's communities and 
     the quality of life of its residents is both a tribute to, 
     and representative of, the Nation's diversity;
       Whereas Ohio will begin celebrations commemorating its 
     bicentennial on March 1, 2003, in Chillicothe, the first 
     capital of Ohio;
       Whereas the bicentennial celebrations will include 
     Inventing Flight in Dayton (celebrating the centennial of 
     flight), Tall Ships on Lake Erie, Tall Stacks on the Ohio 
     River, Red, White, and Bicentennial Boom in Columbus, and the 
     Bicentennial Wagon Train across the State: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved by the Senate, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the Bicentennial of Ohio's founding and its 
     residents for their important contributions to the economic, 
     social, and cultural development of the United States; and
       (2) directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit a copy 
     of this resolution to the Governor of Ohio.

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