[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10996]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    LINSLY SCHOOL 200TH ANNIVERSARY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from West 
Virginia (Mr. McKinley) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McKINLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the 200th 
anniversary of the Linsly School in Wheeling.
  Established in 1814, Linsly is a preparatory school committed to 
academic excellence and character development. The Linsly School was 
the first of its kind west of the Allegheny Mountains.
  The school's founder, Noah Linsly, was born in Connecticut in 1772. 
With a law degree from Yale, he began his career at his alma mater. 
However, recognizing opportunity in this frontier town of Wheeling, 
Noah Linsly moved there in 1799 and, valuing the need for education, 
established a school for children.
  At the time of Linsly's founding, Napoleon Bonaparte was still 
causing havoc in Europe. James Madison, the fourth President of the 
United States, was President; and the British troops had captured and 
burned Washington, D.C.
  200 years ago, there were no phones, no cars, no buses, no trains, 
just a lawyer with a vision who moved to a small town on the frontier 
and donated all his belongings to help children get an education.
  Reno DiOrio, Linsly's current president for external affairs, said it 
best when he said:

       When one considers everything that has happened to our 
     country and to our local community in the time period of 200 
     years--the Civil War, two world wars, the Great Depression, 
     major floods in the valley, the civil rights movement--we are 
     proud that Linsly has been able to adapt with the times, to 
     persevere and overcome challenges, and to remain committed to 
     its founding principles.

  Linsly's motto--``Forward and no retreat''--has been reflected in 
their emphasis that the greatest accomplishment is not in ever failing, 
but in rising again after you fall. With this motto, Linsly has 
continued to believe that children should be challenged and pressed 
without the possibility that they will quit.
  From the fourth President to the 44th President of the United States, 
Linsly not only has survived, but has thrived. Among its graduates are 
Federal judges, business leaders, professional athletes, authors, 
Congressmen, and college presidents, among others.
  This little school in Wheeling--this little school in Wheeling, not 
Boston or Philadelphia--is the 25th oldest boarding school in the 
United States of America, and its reputation is spread internationally. 
Now in its 200th year, Linsly is welcoming students from 15 States and 
12 foreign nations.
  As one of Linsly's greatest benefactors once stated:

       Linsly will, in years to come, influence the lives of 
     hundreds of young people who will go forward to serve their 
     fellow men.

  After 200 years, Linsly has already influenced the lives of hundreds 
of young people, and now, it is ready for another 200.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that we honor this momentous and heartfelt 
anniversary for a program at Linsly. Happy 200th birthday, Linsly 
School.

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