[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11974]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       75TH ANNIVERSARY OF BEST WESTERN ROUTE 66 RAIL HAVEN MOTEL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILLY LONG

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 19, 2013

  Mr. LONG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 75th 
anniversary of the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven Motel, located in 
Springfield, Missouri.
  Founded in 1938, the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven Motel has a 
long and storied history of serving Southwest Missouri and travelers 
from all over the United States. Brothers Elwyn and Lawrence Lippman 
built the original motel on their grandfather's apple orchard located 
on the eastern city limits of Springfield and Route 66. From 1938 and 
on, the Lippman brothers continued to expand their motel to accompany 
more customers. In 1948, the Best Western motel chain was founded and 
Lawrence began to serve on their board of directors in 1951, making 
Rail Haven part of the Best Western family. The motel is the oldest 
continually operating national branded Best Western hotel on Route 66 
and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
  Throughout the next half century, Rail Haven and the City of 
Springfield saw vast growth and change. In 1994, local Certified Public 
Accountant Gordon A. Elliott acquired the property and through his 
vision and leadership, the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven Motel 
extensively remodeled and upgraded its facilities. Today vintage gas 
pumps and classic cars can be found on the Rail Haven grounds, which 
shed light on the motel's humble beginnings.
  Through Gordon's hard work, innovation, and leadership, Rail Haven 
has seen tremendous success in recent decades. In fact, Gordon was 
recognized as the 2013 Springfieldian by the Springfield Area Chamber 
of Commerce.
  The Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven Motel has a very distinct honor 
to be one of the original Route 66 motels. A very few number of these 
motels were part of the national chain, and it is very rare to find one 
that retains that affiliation to this day. I am honored to recognize 
the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven Motel for its steadfast hard work 
and dedication over the past 75 years and look forward to watching its 
success for years to come.

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