[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3595]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MICHAEL CREASEY

 Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, today I honor Michael Creasey for 
his work as the Executive Director of the John H. Chafee Blackstone 
River Valley National Heritage Corridor. For the last 10 years, Michael 
has been a driving force in the Blackstone Valley, completing projects, 
building advocacy and partnerships, and instilling pride in the people 
who live beside this historic river.
  Michael has devoted his career to public service and national park 
stewardship since 1986. After honing his skills in Utah and New Mexico, 
he was assigned to the Blackstone Corridor in 1995 as Deputy Director 
and became the Executive Director in 1999. What a gift he has been! His 
boundless energy and devotion to the Blackstone Corridor, and his skill 
in working with the Corridor Commission and its large group of 
stakeholders, have spawned a revitalization that includes the creation 
of new jobs, the preservation and enhancement of historic sites, and 
the restoration of valuable wildlife habitat.
  In April 2000, shortly after I came to the Senate, Michael took me on 
a tour of the Valley to point out some of the Federal and private 
sector investments that had been made in the Heritage Corridor. I could 
not help but be impressed with his energy and passion as we viewed the 
Blackstone River Bikeway--or Riverway, as he has dubbed it--along with 
renovated mills, a canoe and boat landing, and parks that have been 
developed since the authorization of the Blackstone Heritage Corridor 
in 1986. The progress I observed that day was a result of collaboration 
among the residents of the Valley, State agencies and the Federal 
Government, and is proof that industrial rivers like the Blackstone can 
be saved if we all work together.
  Above all else, Michael is a ``river guy'' who understands the 
significance of the ``power of place'' and the potential of people to 
shape their communities. In a recent news article announcing his 
appointment as superintendent of the Lowell National Historical Park, 
he states, ``It's been a great honor to serve the Corridor Commission 
for nearly a decade. I have always been impressed with the passion, 
creative ideas and commitment that the people have had for achieving 
the Heritage Corridor vision.''
  The Blackstone River Valley Heritage Corridor is a unique institution 
that has brought together many divergent groups and raised the national 
profile of this very special region. I thank Michael for his years of 
service to this historic slice of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and I 
also wish him luck in his new endeavors in Lowell.

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