[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 1997]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO MARIE RUST

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DONALD M. PAYNE

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 9, 2005

  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the 
distinguished career of Marie Rust as she retires from the National 
Park Service. Ms. Rust will be retiring after spending 31 years as 
caretaker of the National Park System in 13 northeast states. Early in 
her National Park Service Career, as Director of Personnel, she was 
personally charged with forming the North Atlantic Region, of which my 
home state of New Jersey is a member.
  She has been a tireless advocate for the National Parks of New 
Jersey, including Edison National Historic Site, Morristown National 
Historical Park, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and the 
Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area.
  In my own Congressional District, Ms. Rust was instrumental in 
facilitating the development of the public/private partnership between 
the National Park Service, the Edison Preservation Foundation, and the 
Friends of Edison National Historic Site. Both groups are devoted to 
the preservation of the Edison legacy and the Historic Site on Main 
Street in West Orange, as well as the Edison home in Llewellyn Park. 
The fund raising efforts of these groups, combined with the federal 
appropriations we were able to secure, have been instrumental in saving 
the site's historic structures and improving the condition of the 
artifacts the buildings contain. Her leadership has made possible the 
current rehabilitation effort at the Site, which will provide 
accessibility to all visitors, broaden the Edison story with new 
exhibits and tours, and preserve the buildings for future generations 
of visitors.
  Close to my own heart, she has been active on the International front 
as a founding member of the International Coalition of Historic Sites 
of Conscience, working to preserve historic sites that are connected to 
social issues. She has safeguarded the history of these places and used 
them to foster public dialogue, reminding us always that our past can 
and should shape the way we speak about the contemporary issues of our 
day.
  I am grateful for Marie Rust's leadership in my community and for her 
three decade long fight for the protection of our national treasures.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in extending my thanks to Ms. Rust for 
her many years of environmental stewardship and preservation, and I 
invite my colleagues to join me in wishing her a rewarding retirement.

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