[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13705]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  SLOAN MUSEUM AND LONGWAY PLANETARIUM

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                          HON. DALE E. KILDEE

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 24, 2008

  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Sloan Museum and 
Longway Planetarium for receiving accreditation from the American 
Association of Museums. Sloan Museum and Longway Planetarium join an 
elite group of 775 accredited institutions out of 17,500 museums in the 
United States.
  Located in my hometown of Flint, Michigan, Sloan Museum and Longway 
Planetarium are icons of the Flint Cultural Center. The greater Flint 
community began planning the Flint College and Cultural Center in 1952. 
The Sloan Museum, named after Alfred P. Sloan, was designated as the 
transportation and local history museum and now includes the Buick 
Galley and Research Center opened in 1999. The Robert T. Longway 
Planetarium was conceived as a place to teach students and the greater 
public about the universe and general science. The two institutions 
merged in 2004.
  Accreditation by the American Association of Museums is the 
culmination of a 2-year-long application process. To receive 
accreditation a museum has to demonstrate a commitment to outstanding 
programming for the public and at the same time meet high standards for 
the care of the scientific and cultural artifacts in its custody. The 
Sloan Museum and Longway Planetarium meet the exacting standards of 
each criterion. Currently the Sloan Museum Annual Auto Fair will take 
place this coming weekend and on display is the Nicola Bulgari 
collection of vintage General Motors automobiles. The Longway 
Planetarium is currently displaying a moon rock, on loan from NASA, 
which was brought back to Earth by Apollo 16.
  Madam Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in 
congratulating Sloan Museum and Longway Planetarium for receiving this 
prestigious accreditation. For over 50 years the staff, volunteers and 
community have worked diligently to maintain these jewels of the Flint 
area and this is a well-deserved honor for both Sloan Museum and 
Longway Planetarium.

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