[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16689-16690]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  COMMEMORATING THE CITY OF SOUTHFIELD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 11, 2012

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the City of Southfield, 
and thank the residents of Southfield who have provided me with the 
honor of representing them in Congress for 30 years. My beloved late 
wife, Vicki and I, called Southfield our home when I was first elected 
to Congress, and our Congressional office was based there for many 
years. I have been proud to see the fabric of this community diversify 
racially and to watch it develop economically.
  Historically, when Governor Cass first ordered the area in the 
``south fields'' of Bloomfield Township surveyed in 1817, he could not

[[Page 16690]]

have guessed at the fine city it would become. Though it became a 
township in 1830, it wasn't until 1958, over 100 years later, that 
Southfield would formally incorporate into a city.
  Southfield has earned its moniker, ``The Center of It All.'' Strong 
neighborhoods. Good schools. Manufacturing. Office high-rises which 
house more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. And, a deep sense of 
community and friendship.
  I have enjoyed participating in so many activities and events like 
the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Day peace walk and commemoration, 
ceremonies at the VFW, activities sponsored by your schools and your 
strong and vibrant religious institutions, and the effort many years 
ago to cleanup the Rouge River, which I actually got into. I am pleased 
at what a leader your community has become in the Veterans History 
Project interviewing over 200 veterans and placing their histories at 
the Library of Congress. And, congratulations to Dr. Wanda Cook-
Robinson, the Superintendent of Southfield Schools, who was recently 
named the 2013 Superintendent of the Year by the Michigan Association 
of School Administrators.
  I was proud to fight for the federal dollars needed to create the 
Center for Innovative Materials Research. This partnership between 
Lawrence Technological University, TARDEC and the Army Research Lab, 
was established for the research, development and testing of carbon-
fiber composite materials for defense applications.
  Mayor Lawrence, former mayor and current City Councilman Don 
Fracassi, along with all of the dedicated City Council members and 
other local elected officials continue to move the City of Southfield 
forward, and I look forward to following their success in the years to 
come.
  As I close, I can say with confidence that the City of Southfield and 
its residents are in good hands with Congressman Gary Peters. My office 
will, of course, stay in close touch on issues that impact Oakland 
County and southeast Michigan as we all work together to re-vitalize 
our Michigan economy.

                          ____________________