[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10625]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO ELLIE BALL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LATHAM

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 20, 2014

  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate 
Ellie Ball for being named a state winner of the Library of Congress's 
Letters about Literature program.
  Letters about Literature is a national reading and writing program 
that is sponsored by the Library of Congress. The program asks students 
to write to the past or present author of a book that affected their 
life. More than 50,000 young readers from across the country submitted 
letters last year to compete for the state-level awards for 2014.
  A panel of judges that can include published authors, editors, 
publishers, librarians, teachers, and state officials chose Ellie's 
letter as a state winner. Ellie wrote a letter to author J.R.R. Tolkien 
explaining how his renowned work, The Lord of the Rings, affected her 
life. Ellie's letter to Tolkien earned her recognition in her community 
as well as here in Washington.
  Mr. Speaker, the example set by this young woman demonstrates the 
rewards of harnessing one's talents and sharing them with the world. 
Ellie's efforts embody the Iowa spirit and I am honored to represent 
her and her family in the United States Congress. I know that all of my 
colleagues in the United States House of Representatives will join me 
in congratulating her achievement and will wish her continued success 
in her future education and career.

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