[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17187]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                CONGRATULATING COLONEL CHARLES E. POWELL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to recognize a friend and 
constituent, Colonel Charles E. Powell, retired U.S. Air Force of San 
Angelo, Texas.
  On June 14, 2005, Colonial Powell received the Road Hand Award from 
the Texas Department of Transportation, presented by Texas 
Transportation Commissioner John W. Johnson.
  The Road Hand Award was created in 1973 by Luther DeBerry, a former 
State highway engineer of the Texas Department of Transportation. It is 
designed to honor public servants throughout Texas who have dedicated 
themselves to improving public transportation safety.
  In 32 years, only 198 awards have been given, an average of about six 
per year.

                              {time}  2000

  Previous Road Hand Award winners include former mayor of San Antonio 
and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros, and 
former Congressman Jake Pickle, who recently passed away.
  Colonel Powell is the seventh recipient from the San Angelo district 
and the first honoree ever to receive the award for their dedication to 
Texas aviation safety. Honorees have their names inscribed on the Road 
Hand Hall of Fame plaque, which is displayed in the foyer of the DeWitt 
C. Greer Highway Building in Austin, Texas.
  Colonel Powell's career of service brings credit to all Americans and 
pride to his hometown of San Angelo. Colonel Powell served as 
commanding officer at Goodfellow Air Force Base from 1980 to 1984. In 
2000 he was appointed to the Texas Aviation Advisory Committee, where 
he helped increase grants by 44 percent. As a member of the San Angelo 
Chamber of Commerce, Colonel Powell was a great advocate for local 
transportation issues, including to our State government, and helped 
secure funding for the U.S. Highway 67 Houston Harte Freeway through 
San Angelo.
  Texas has over 79,000 miles of roadway, the most in the United 
States, and it takes a lot of work to keep Texas safe in our many 
transportation systems. To a long list of honors and awards reflecting 
a lifetime of public service, Colonel Powell has added the Texas 
Department of Transportation Road Hand. Colonel Powell represents the 
best of District 11 and the State of Texas, and I am proud to be his 
Congressman and his friend.

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