[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16096]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    LEWIS AND CLARK EXPEDITION: PRESERVING HISTORY AND PERPETUATING 
                               TRADITION

 Mr. NELSON of Nebraska. Mr. President, today I would like to 
share with you and my colleagues my appreciation for Neal Corey of 
McCook, NE. Neal is my cousin and a role model to Americans, a 
preserver of history, and a perpetuator of tradition.
  Neal Corey, who is now a retired conductor for Burlington Northern 
Railroad, is the third generation of his family to maintain a farm in 
Red Willow County, a homestead that is still on its original site in 
Nebraska. A pioneer of subsurface irrigation in his county, Neal has 
helped others in his area to set up similar irrigation systems during 
his retirement to improve farming efficiency.
  As you can see, Neal has been perpetuating tradition and preserving 
history through a lifetime of service to his family at the farm, to the 
railroad, and to his neighbors. History has always interested him, but 
it literally took a greater vessel to move him to become an active part 
in preserving it. Neal's curiosities were piqued when he read a small 
article in the hometown newspaper we share, the McCook Gazette, about 
the recreation of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
  After Neal sent in his $50 membership fee to the Discovery Expedition 
of Saint Charles, MO, he decided that wasn't enough. No, Neal decided 
he wanted to contribute something more than $50. So he looked into what 
it would take to be a part of this expedition.
  He thought it might be fun to get out and do some ``camping'' during 
his retirement. It was only during his training for the expedition, 
when he found himself wearing historical fashions that include long-
sleeved cotton shirts, canvas pants, and a wool army coat during the 
summertime, that he realized just which kind of camping he would do.
  To this day, Neal selflessly contributes his time, his enthusiasm, 
and his energy to the Discovery Expedition of Saint Charles, MO. 
Through this expedition, Neal's goal is to preserve the history made by 
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark when they first set out to explore 
the unknown of a new Nation.
  Each year, the Discovery Expedition reenacts a different part of the 
original river journey--a journey that began in 1803 in Elizabeth, PA, 
and extends to Great Falls, MT.
  This year, Neal will be participating in the Nebraska portion of the 
river journey of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This portion is 
scheduled to reach the Missouri River around July 16, and will include 
week-long activities at Fort Calhoun, NE, beginning July 30.
  I have been so inspired by Neal's energy and enthusiasm that I, too, 
will take part in a portion of this great commemoration. Through his 
example and his service, Neal Corey has been a force in both the 
preservation of American history, and the perpetuation of American 
traditions.

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