[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 18538]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     CONGRATULATING GEORGE BRUNSTAD

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I congratulate one of my Connecticut 
constituents, George Brunstad, on an extraordinary achievement. A few 
weeks ago, George, a resident of Ridgefield, became the oldest person 
to swim across the English Channel.
  George, who celebrated his 70th birthday on August 25, began his 
record-breaking swim three days later when he left Dover, England 
shortly after 9 a.m. on Saturday, August 28. He reached Sangatte, on 
the French coast, after midnight on Sunday, completing the 21-mile 
stretch in 15 hours and 59 minutes. Prior to George, the oldest person 
to swim the Channel was Clifford Batts, who was about 100 days shy of 
his 68th birthday.
  Let me tell my colleagues a little about George Brunstad. He is a 
retired Air Force pilot who flew B-52 bombers. For 20 years, he piloted 
jumbo jets for American Airlines. Currently, he is a swim coordinator 
for children at the YMCA in Wilton, CT, where he is affectionately 
known as ``Grandpa George.'' George and his wife Judy are active 
members of the Wilton Baptist Church, where George serves as a Deacon. 
For 20 years, George has been associated with Pivot Ministries, a group 
that helps men who are recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.
  While George was on the swim team in college, he had been away from 
the sport for 20 years before he saw a sign at the Wilton YMCA 
advertising competitive swimming for adults. That was 31 years ago, and 
George Brunstad hasn't stopped swimming since. He is a World Masters 
Open Water Swimming Champion and has won more than 100 national 
championship medals in U.S. Masters Swimming.
  But George Brunstad's feat last month was much more than an athletic 
achievement. Last year, George and Judy traveled on a mission to the 
island nation of Haiti with their church. They were appalled by the 
incredible poverty that continues to afflict that nation. They were 
particularly saddened by the large numbers of homeless children they 
saw in Haiti. And they decided to do what they could to help those 
children.
  George and Judy are founding members of the board of directors of the 
Center of Hope, an organization devoted to building an orphanage and 
school in the Haitian city of Hinche. Hinche has 80,000 people, most of 
whom are desperately poor and lack basic needs like clean water, 
shelter, medical care, transportation, and education.
  George decided that his swim across the Channel would be a perfect 
way to raise money for the Center of Hope. In total, he managed to 
raise over $11,000. As someone who has been to Haiti numerous times, 
and as a Senator who has done his best to try to direct our attention 
to Haiti's dire needs, I'm particularly pleased that George Brunstad 
chose to turn his moment of personal triumph into one that will help 
better the lives of some of the residents of an impoverished nation 
only a few hundred miles from our shores.
  This coming weekend, the Wilton Baptist Church and the Center of Hope 
will be holding a special celebration in George's honor. I send George, 
Judy, their family, and all those who will be attending the celebration 
my best wishes, and my enthusiastic congratulations.

                          ____________________