[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5550]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                   HONORING JAMES ``JIM'' VANDERFORD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JON C. PORTER

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 29, 2004

  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. James ``Jim'' 
Vanderford for his many years of service to Lake Mead National 
Recreation Area (NRA). Mr. Vanderford is both an amazing ambassador for 
the National Park Service and Lake Mead NRA and a dedicated public 
servant. I have worked with Jim throughout my career and am also proud 
to call him one of my good friends.
  After serving our Nation in the U.S. Marines from 1960-1963, Mr. 
Vanderford began his civilian Federal career with the Bureau of Land 
Management in 1971. In May of 1974, he accepted a position at Lake Mead 
NRA and began his long career of service at one of Nevada's most 
important natural resources. He has served as the Chief of Maintenance 
and Engineering since August of 1994.
  During his 30 years of service at Lake Mead NRA, Mr. Vanderford 
designed and supervised the construction and upgrade of many of the 
park's facilities, including picnic areas, launch ramps, courtesy 
docks, restrooms, and water and wastewater treatment facilities. He 
also supervised millions of dollars in Federal Highway Administration 
road construction projects.
  The work Jim Vanderford did during his time at Lake Mead NRA has 
impacted each one of the more than 9 million people that visit Lake 
Mead each year. His work ethic and institutional knowledge will be 
greatly missed.
  I wish Jim the very best in his retirement and look forward to seeing 
him and his wife Jeri Lynn as they continue to reside in Boulder City, 
Nevada. I am proud of all that Jim has done for Southern Nevada and 
commend him for all his years of service.

                          ____________________