[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4864]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


               HONORING MR. ROY DEDA UPON HIS RETIREMENT

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                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 20, 2016

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, today, I am pleased to applaud Mr. Roy 
Deda and wish him well upon his retirement. Roy has dedicated his life 
to public service through his career with the United States Army Corps 
of Engineers (USACE). He has served in numerous capacities throughout 
his illustrious career and is retiring from his position as the Deputy 
for Project Management for the Chicago District. I am grateful for his 
expertise and leadership, and I honor him for his many years of 
outstanding service to the community of Northwest Indiana and beyond.
  In 1975, Roy earned his Bachelor of Science degree in civil 
engineering from the University of Notre Dame. He began an internship 
with the Chicago District that same year. Mr. Deda worked in various 
positions in the Construction-Operations Division for the Chicago 
District until 1983, when he became a civil engineer for the North 
Central Division's Construction and Operations Directorate. In 1993, 
Roy was named chief of the Construction-Operations Division for the 
North Central Division and then for the Great Lakes and Ohio River 
Division. In 1988, he returned to the Chicago District, where he took 
over as the chief of the Chicago District's Construction Operations 
Division. As the Deputy for Project Management for the Chicago District 
since 2002 Roy has excelled in his responsibilities and will be greatly 
missed upon his retirement. In addition to his remarkable work with the 
Army Corps, Mr. Deda is also a member of the Society of American 
Military Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and is 
involved with the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition.
  During his tenure with the USACE--Chicago District, Roy Deda has been 
particularly instrumental in the development and implementation of 
projects within Indiana's First Congressional District, projects that 
have changed the landscape of this region. Under his leadership, the 
levees along the Little Calumet River were constructed, and to date, 
the obligation to pay substantial flood insurance premiums have been 
removed for more than 4,000 home and business owners. The dredging of 
the Indiana Harbor Ship Canal, a project many in the community believed 
would never occur in their lifetime, is underway and will increase the 
efficiencies of the canal users and significantly improve the quality 
of the water entering Lake Michigan. Federal, state, and local partners 
are working to restore the Grand Calumet River, one of our country's 
most polluted waterbodies, thanks to the research undertaken by the 
USACE under Mr. Deda's oversight.
  Finally, residents of Northwest Indiana are able to recreate and 
enjoy the beauty of Lake Michigan through the Portage Lakefront Park, 
which Roy Deda helped spearhead. The scope of the Portage Lakefront 
Park project has been further expanded to include the restoration of an 
additional sixty-nine acres recently acquired by the City of Portage. 
Thanks to Roy's direction, the Portage Lakefront Park embodies the 
essence of the Lake Michigan Waterfront Authority, the intent of which 
is to increase public access to the Lake Michigan shoreline in Indiana. 
The success of these transformational projects improves the quality of 
life in Northwest Indiana and increases opportunities for economic 
development in our region, and for that I am grateful for Mr. Deda's 
exceptional work and dedication to bring these initiatives to fruition.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and all our colleagues join me in 
commending Roy Deda for his exceptional career, and in wishing him well 
as he spends time with his friends and family in retirement, including 
his children Erin and Donald. Roy's work and life of dedicated public 
service will enrich generations to come, and for his many 
contributions, he is worthy of the highest praise.




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