[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23659]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING MR. RONALD VOORHEIS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. THADDEUS G. McCOTTER

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 16, 2004

  Mr. McCOTTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge and honor Mr. 
Ronald Voorheis upon his retirement after 48 years of service to the 
citizens of the Charter Township of White Lake, Michigan.
  Ron's roots in White Lake date back to 1840 when his great-great 
grandfather bought more than 300 acres of land. The Voorheis family 
farmed the land until the 1970s when Ron's father retired from farming. 
Nineteen acres remain in the Voorheis family today.
  Ron was appointed Township Treasurer in 1956, a period when White 
Lake Township had a population of 4,000 and was governed by a five-
member, part-time board. The fire department was volunteer, the chiefs 
were part-time, and there was no central dispatch. The wives of the 
firemen took turns in answering the fire calls from their houses. The 
police officers were paid just $1 per year.
  Since then, the population of the township has grown to more than 
30,000 citizens. Many of the farms are gone, and the main two-lane 
highway is a now a four-lane highway with a beautiful boulevard. The 
fire department and the police department are staffed with full-time 
professional firefighters and police officers. Ron has been a member of 
the leadership team guiding the growth of the township, helping to 
ensure the quality of life for all of the residents.
  While Ron will be admired for his leadership and contributions to 
White Lake Township far into the future, he should also be recognized 
for his service to the Michigan Townships Association where he served 
as a board member since 1968 and as the organization's president in 
1978. Even though he will be leaving public service, Ron intends to 
remain active in the White Lake Historical Society and his church.
  Mr. Speaker, I extend my sincere appreciation to Mr. Ronald Voorheis 
upon his retirement, and thank him for his fine service to our 
community and our country, and wish him the best.

                          ____________________