[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 12661-12662]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                250TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION OF KEENE, NH

 Mr. GREGG. Mr President, I rise today in honor of Keene, NH, 
the Elm City of New Hampshire. As the United States prepares to observe 
the 227th anniversary of our independence, the citizens of Keene will 
be celebrating the city's 250th birthday. It is therefore timely and 
appropriate that we recognize this great American community.
  From its first settlement in the early 1700's until today, Keene has 
been the economic and cultural hub for the Monadnock region. The city's 
manufacturing and commercial companies have not only energized the 
local economy but have made significant contributions to our country. 
The Kingsbury Machine Tool Corporation, for example, was a key supplier 
of equipment during the Nation's involvement in World War II and the 
Korean War. The Faulkner and Colony Manufacturing Company is certainly 
one of the great industrial companies in our Country's history and its 
legacy is still being felt today. In addition to this central role as 
an economic engine, Keene has been an education leader. It is home to 
Keene State College, one of the our State's leading institutions of 
higher learning.
  Of course, we cannot talk about this city without praising its most 
distinctive asset: the people of Keene. They have never been restrained 
in lending their talents and energies to any noble cause or to any 
effort that will strengthen the community's social fabric. Throughout 
its history, Keene's residents have demonstrated this commitment to 
their neighbors and their country. For example, upon hearing of

[[Page 12662]]

the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the town organized a 
celebration of this great news. Unfortunately, they had no way of 
affixing the new American flag to the Liberty Pole, other than by 
climbing to the top, which was dangerous. A 9-year-old boy stepped out 
of the crowd and offered to take up this challenge. Witnesses said as 
the boy went higher, the pole started to bend. However, he made it and, 
as the crowd cheered, set the American Flag at the pole's highest 
reach. In February 1835, a Keene native, the Honorable John Dickson, 
delivered the first important anti-slavery speech ever made in the 
United States Congress. In 1892, John Henry Elliot donated the building 
which became the City's first modern hospital. During the Civil War, 
584 men from Keene served; 48 gave their lives. Forty Keene residents 
fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Catherine Fiske opened the Young 
Ladies Seminary in Keene on May 1, 1814. This was the first boarding 
school in New Hampshire and just the second in the United States. Its 
reputation for educating the young women of Keene and of many other 
States in the country was unmatched in its day.
  Horatio Colony, the city's first mayor in 1874, is one of a long line 
of talented public servants from Keene who have helped make New 
Hampshire such a great place to live. Today, the city is continuing 
this honorable tradition. The long-time dean of the New Hampshire State 
Senate, Clesson ``Junie'' Blaisdell, hailed from Keene. The sitting 
mayor, Michael E.J. Blastos, has been a long-time leader here. The 
current President of the New Hampshire State Senate, Tom Eaton, calls 
the city his home. In addition to guiding one half of New Hampshire's 
legislative body, Senator Eaton also serves as acting Governor of New 
Hampshire whenever the Governor is out of state or otherwise unable to 
perform the duties of the office. Born and raised in this region of the 
State, Senator Eaton represents all that is great about the City.
  All of these people, and their stories, illustrate the can-do 
attitude and spirit of activism of Keene's people. With that, I am 
proud to honor and salute them as they celebrate the 250th birthday of 
Keene, NH, the Elm City of the Granite State.

                          ____________________