[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16612]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING THE LIFE OF VAN MICHAEL

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                        HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 25, 2017

  Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, on October 11, a great 
Tennessean and very patriotic American, Van Michael, passed away at the 
age of 82.
  Van was a longtime friend and supporter of both me and my late 
father.
  He was a lawyer, successful businessman, and served as City Judge for 
Sweetwater, Tennessee.
  He also enjoyed his work in Washington as the lobbyist for the 
National Christmas Tree Growers Association.
  Van was the primary developer of a popular Tennessee tourist 
attraction called the Lost Sea, an amazing body of water in an 
underground cavern in Monroe County.
  I still remember riding in a boat with my dad at the Grand Opening of 
the Lost Sea.
  He also was a leader in bringing about Cherohala Skyway, one of the 
Nation's most beautiful scenic highways.
  Van was a very well-informed conservative with strong views on the 
great issues of the day.
  As Sweetwater Mayor Doyle Lowe said, ``Sweetwater and the County will 
miss him. He was a large part of the community.''
  Van Michael touched thousands of lives in good and positive ways. 
This Country is a better place because of the life he led.
  I would like to include in the Record the following article about Van 
Michael from the Monroe County newspaper The Advocate & Democrat.

            [From the Advocate and Democrat, Oct. 15, 2017]

               Lost Sea Developer Van Michael Dies at 82

                          (By Michael Thomas)

       A man who helped bring The Lost Sea to prominence among 
     many other life accomplishments died Oct. 11 at the age of 
     82.
       Van Reeves Michael was known for a lot of things throughout 
     his long life, but it was his part in the development of the 
     former Craighead Caverns into the Lost Sea that will mark his 
     legacy.
       ``I can't think of anyone that knows more about The Lost 
     Sea than him,'' said Lisa McClung, director of The Lost Sea. 
     ``I used to get him to come out and talk to the new tour 
     guides and share some of the history of it with them so they 
     would know it firsthand. He was a wonderful person. He 
     stopped by to see us frequently and tell us stories about The 
     Lost Sea. I can't believe he's gone. We will definitely miss 
     him.''
       McClung said she did not know anyone who loved The Lost Sea 
     more than Van Michael.
       ``He was passionate about it becoming an attraction and he 
     worked relentlessly in the early 60s to get it open,'' she 
     said. ``He kept on and on until he was able to see it become 
     reality. He said he would stand on Main Street and count the 
     car tags of people who were coming through going to 
     Chattanooga or Knoxville and he knew if it were open to the 
     public, they would stop and see it.''
       In a story commemorating the 50th anniversary of The Lost 
     Sea, Michael said, ``It was called the `Lake Room' until 
     1965. People had come and gone in the cavern before that, but 
     only a few had actually seen the big room with the cave. 
     Nobody in Sweetwater believed it existed.''
       According to family members, Michael was also instrumental 
     in helping bring the Cherohala Skyway into existence, 
     something his father, W.E. Michael, helped start.
       Michael was also well known in the City of Sweetwater, 
     where his law office was known as the ``Michael and Michael 
     building.''
       ``Everybody knew that building on Oak Street,'' Sweetwater 
     Mayor Doyle Lowe said. ``I hated to hear that Van had died. 
     He was quite a character. He always had a joke ready and a 
     lot of times, he would make your day. We were friends for 
     more than 40 years and he was always encouraging, always 
     thinking of ways to make things better.''
       ``Sweetwater, and the county, will miss him,'' Lowe added. 
     ``He was a large part of the community.''
       Michael was preceded in death by his parents, W.E. Michael 
     and Claudia Francis Michael, and son Richard Michael. He is 
     survived by his wife of 57 years, Margaret (Peg) Bowland 
     Michael, his daughter and son-in-law, Teresa Michael Glasgow 
     and Steven Glasgow of Franklin, and his grandchildren, Carson 
     and Campbell Glasgow.
       He was a 1952 graduate of Tennessee Military Institute. He 
     went on to receive his bachelor and law degrees from 
     Cumberland University and practiced law in Sweetwater for 57 
     years at Michael and Michael Attys.

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