[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E161]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

TRIBUTE TO GOOD CITIZEN SCHOLARSHIP WINNER MARY ELLEN GREER

______

HON. CHARLIE ROSE

of north carolina

in the house of representatives

Monday, January 23, 1995
Mr. ROSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a great achievement
by a young person from North Carolina's 7th Congressional District, Ms.
Mary Ellen Greer.
On Saturday January 21, I had the pleasure of attending a luncheon in
Southport, North Carolina, sponsored by the National Society of the
Daughters of the American Revolution. This purpose of this luncheon was
to honor the winners of the Good Citizens Scholarship Competition. I
cannot tell you how encouraging it was to see so many patriotic young
people with such a clear understanding of the responsibilities of
citizenship.
The winner from District IX was a young lady named Mary Ellen Greer,
of Whiteville, North Carolina. Ms. Greer wrote an extraordinary essay
entitled ``Our American Heritage and Our Responsibility to Preserve
It.'' Mr. Speaker, I would like to share this essay with all of my
colleagues, and, therefore, ask that it be printed in the Record.
Our American Heritage and Our Responsibility To Preserve It

(By Mary Ellen Greer)

In the early sixteenth century, a group of weary British
pilgrims landed on the Eastern shore of the New World. The
voyage had been a difficult one, the first of a long series
of hardships that would define the establishment of these
people as inhabitants of the
[[Page E160]] New World. Starvation, Indian attacks, and
disease wrecked havoc on the lives of these settlers.
Nevertheless, the pressed on, inspired by the promises of
this new land. They wanted to have a fresh start, to create a
way of life for themselves free of religious persecution and
oppressive royal rule. And they did survive, sowing the seeds
of a nation that would come to represent throughout the world
freedom, optimism, and equality.
Well over three centuries have passed since these pilgrims,
full of hopes and dreams for the future, settled this new
land. During this time, a nation has emerged, larger and more
complex than its early settlements, but with the same dreams.
The United States of America has been built upon a foundation
of hard work, optimism, and trust in God. Its citizens are
valued as individuals, but it is cooperation that has made it
great. And now it has survived the test of time, standing as
a testament to the power of its dreams for all to see.
Americans today not only have the responsibility to
preserve this rich heritage, but to learn from it also.
Unfortunately, as the nation has grown larger, so have its
problems. Today's Americans do not necessarily posses the
concern, hard work, and optimism of their forefathers. Many
have become apathetic, concerned only about their own lives
and believing that they cannot aid in the solutions to bigger
problems. The government has begun to lose touch with the
people, creating feelings of hostility and distrust between
citizens and their leaders. Persecution, too, exists here.
Americans are judged and treated unfairly by their fellow
Americans because of their religion, their color, or their
economic status. It seems as if, in some ways, America has
become just the thing from which its forefathers wished to
escape.
There is hope, however, for there is one thing that this
nation cannot lose. And That is its heritage. This
``heritage'' is not just a group of historical events. It is
not about wars, or presidential terms, or laws passed. Yes,
these events, good and bad, are important. They have shaped
this nation. But it is something much deeper, much more
timeless, that has really created this nation and kept it
alive through the centuries, and that is the American spirit.
The American spirit is a desire and a commitment to improve,
it encompasses qualities such as determination, cooperation,
integrity, and most of all, hope. It was alive in the hearts
of those first settlers even before they landed on this
continent, for the American spirit is not about the land, or
about the government and the historical events. It is about
the people, and that is the heritage of the United States of
America--the people.
It is each person's realization of his or her individual
importance to this nation that will preserve this heritage
and enable the spirit of America to live on. Therefore, it is
every American's duty to support and aid in the institutions
that instill this heritage and responsibility--families,
schools, churches, civic groups, and the government itself.
However, learning from the past does not mean living in the
past. Changes may be needed as the United States enters into
the twenty-first century, individual changes, and perhaps
more widespread changes also. Americans will not be
abandoning the past by considering small or even radical
changes, for that is exactly what its forefathers did when
they created this nation. It is by applying the attitudes and
dreams of our forefathers to ourselves today that we can
truly preserve the American heritage.

[[Page E161]]

SENATE COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Title IV of Senate Resolution 4, agreed to by the Senate on February
4, 1977, calls for establishment of a system for a computerized
schedule of all meetings and hearings of Senate committees,
subcommittees, joint committees, and committees of conference. This
title requires all such committees to notify the Office of the Senate
Daily Digest--designated by the Rules Committee--of the time, place,
and purpose of the meetings, when scheduled, and any cancellations or
changes in the meetings as they occur.
As an additional procedure along with the computerization of this
information, the Office of the Senate Daily Digest will prepare this
information for printing in the Extensions of Remarks section of the
Congressional Record on Monday and Wednesday of each week.
Meetings scheduled for Tuesday, January 24, 1995, may be found in the
Daily Digest of today's Record.

MEETINGS SCHEDULED

JANUARY 25
9:30 a.m.
Budget
To hold hearings to review the Congressional Budget
Office annual report.
SD-608
Finance
To hold hearings to examine the national economic
outlook.
SD-215
Governmental Affairs
To hold hearings to examine Federal Government reform
issues, focusing on welfare reform.
SD-342
Rules and Administration
Business meeting, to mark up proposed legislation
authorizing biennial expenditures by standing, select,
and special committees of the Senate, and to consider
other pending legislative and administrative business.
SR-301
10:00 a.m.
Judiciary
Constitution, Federalism, and Property Rights Subcommittee
To hold hearings on S.J. Res. 19, proposing an amendment
to the Constitution of the United States relative to
limiting congressional terms.
SD-226
2:00 p.m.
Foreign Relations
To continue hearings on the United States-North Korea
Nuclear Agreement.
SD-419
Select on Intelligence
To hold closed hearings on intelligence matters.
SH-219

JANUARY 26
9:30 a.m.
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
To hold hearings on proposed legislation authorizing
funds for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
SR-332
Appropriations
VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies Subcommittee
To resume hearings to examine the management and
budgetary situation at the Department of Housing and
Urban Development.
SD-192
Armed Services
To hold hearings on the security implications of the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Agreement with North Korea.
SR-222
Budget
To hold hearings on the nation's economic and budget
outlook.
SD-608
Finance
To hold hearings to examine the Federal budget outlook.
SD-215
Labor and Human Resources
To hold hearings on activities of the National Endowment
for the Arts.
SD-430
10:30 a.m.
Judiciary
Business meeting, to consider pending calendar business.
SD-226
2:00 p.m.
Commerce, Science, and Transportation
To hold oversight hearings on activities of the National
Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak).
SR-253
Foreign Relations
To continue hearings to examine the Mexico economic
situation and U.S. efforts to stabilize the peso.
SD-419

JANUARY 27
9:30 a.m.
Budget
To hold hearings to examine government restructuring
proposals.
SD-608

FEBRUARY 1
9:30 a.m.
Governmental Affairs
To continue hearings to examine Federal Government reform
issues, focusing on information management systems.
SD-342

MARCH 2
10:00 a.m.
Appropriations
Transportation Subcommittee
To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal
year 1996 for the Department of Transportation.
SD-192

MARCH 9
10:00 a.m.
Appropriations
Transportation Subcommittee
To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal
year 1996 for the National Transportation Safety Board.
SD-192

MARCH 16
10:00 a.m.
Appropriations
Transportation Subcommittee
To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal
year 1996 for the Federal Highway Administration,
Department of Transportation.
SD-192

MARCH 23
10:00 a.m.
Appropriations
Transportation Subcommittee
To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal
year 1996 for the Federal Railroad Administration,
Department of Transportation, and the National
Passenger Railroad Corporation (Amtrak).
SD-192

MARCH 30
10:00 a.m.
Appropriations
Transportation Subcommittee
To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal
year 1996 for the Federal Aviation Administration,
Department of Transportation.
SD-192

APRIL 27
10:00 a.m.
Appropriations
Transportation Subcommittee
To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal
year 1996 for the Federal Transit Administration,
Department of Transportation.
SD-192

MAY 4
10:00 a.m.
Appropriations
Transportation Subcommittee
To hold hearings on proposed budget estimates for fiscal
year 1996 for the United States Coast Guard, Department
of Transportation.
SD-192

CANCELLATIONS

JANUARY 26
10:00 a.m.
Foreign Relations
To hold hearings to examine the Mexico economic situation
and U.S. efforts to stabilize the peso.
SD-419
Vol. 141

WASHINGTON, MONDAY, JANUARY 23, 1995

No. 13

House of Representatives