August 2, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S5971 

stress and traumatic brain injury. In 

New England alone, an estimated 50,000 

Iraq and Afghanistan veterans experience invisible wounds related to combat, often requiring rigorous, individualized care. 

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs 

plans to hire an additional 1,900 mental 

health staffers across the country. This 

is a promising start, but the increasing 

demand for mental health services, 

delays in mental health treatment and 

appointments, and the growing divide 

between mental health specialists and 

veterans requires that we do more. 

Thankfully, in New England, concerned citizens are not standing on the 

sideline waiting for the VA to solve the 

problem. They are coming together 

around our veterans and their families 

right now to provide them with the 

support they need. 

The Run to Home Base Program offers our heroes and their families a 

place to turn. Developed through a collaborative effort of The Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital, veterans have an opportunity to 

receive the compassionate support they 

deserve from trained mental health 

caregivers. The Run to Home Base Program is a perfect example of the kind 

of unique partnerships and innovative 

approaches that are sure to provide our 

newest generation of veterans with the 

world-class care that their selfless sacrifices deserve. 

I have been proud to participate for 

the past 2 years in the Run-Walk to 

Home Base at Fenway Park in Boston. 

This year’s event in May raised over $7 

million for the cause, a remarkable 

showing of support for our Nation’s heroes. Imagine what could be done for 

other veterans and their families 

around our country if this inspiring 

model were to spread. We have an obligation to honor our veterans and their 

families through timely, predictable 

and effective care and compensation. 

Thanks to the Run to Home Program, 

many in New England are making a 

difference to better serve our veterans 

today.∑ 

f 

REMEMBERING MARY LOUISE 

RASMUSON 

∑ Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, 

today I wish to honor Mary Louise 

Rasmuson, who passed away on July 30, 

2012, in Anchorage, AK. She was an 

Alaskan pioneer in every sense of the 

word—as a trailblazer in Alaska soon 

after statehood, to serving in the military, creating pathways for Alaskan 

access to better health and living conditions, and as an advocate of stronger 

education and culture. I have known 

Mary Louise my entire life. She was a 

warm, gracious woman with a boundless capacity to give herself and energy 

to causes that impact every one of us. 

Mary Louise was born in East Pittsburgh, PA, on April 11, 1911. Her father, 

George Milligan, died when she was 12. 

Her mother, Alice, emigrated from 

France at the age of 16. Mary Louise 

remained close to her mother and her 

brothers, George and Malcolm, for the 

rest of their lives. She enrolled in the 

Margaret Morrison Carnegie College, 

graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 

education, and later earned a master’s 

in school administration from the University of Pittsburgh. Mary Louise also 

received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the Carnegie Institute of 

Technology. She was one of the first 

two women to receive this degree. 

In 1942, as the United States entered 

World War II, Mary Louise left her job 

as an assistant principal in a school 

district near Pittsburgh and became a 

member of the first class of the new 

Women’s Army Corp. She rose quickly 

through the ranks, and in 1957 became 

the fifth Commandant, a position she 

occupied for 6 years as an appointee of 

President Eisenhower and President 

Kennedy. During her 20 years of service, she was awarded multiple medals 

and honors. As director of the Women’s 

Army Corp unit, military historians 

credit her with major achievements, 

including increasing the Women’s 

Army Corp’s strength, insisting on effectiveness in command, working with 

Congress to amend laws that deprived 

women of service credit and benefits, 

and expanding the range of military 

opportunities open to women. At one 

event honoring her, former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry said, 

‘‘When you hear about women seizing 

new opportunities to serve, remember 

that they march behind Colonel 

Rasmuson.’’ 

On November 4, 1961, she married 

Elmer E. Rasmuson, chairman of the 

National Bank of Alaska and a civilian 

aide in Alaska to the Secretary of Defense. She announced that she would 

retire from the Women’s Army Corp as 

of July 31, 1962. In 1962, a civilian once 

more, Mary Louise Rasmuson moved to 

Anchorage with her husband. The city 

had perhaps 50,000 residents at the 

time. She quickly became active in 

civic affairs, and together Mary Louise 

and Elmer formed a dynamic team that 

was influential in the developing State. 

Mary Louise quickly adapted to life in 

Alaska and became active in community groups. She was a member of the 

Veterans of Foreign Wars and several 

other military organizations, the 

American Association of University 

Women, Zonta, Rotary Wives, Pioneers 

of Alaska, Anchorage Women’s Club, 

League of Women Voters, Anchorage 

Republican Women’s Club, Alaska Native Sisterhood, and National Association for the Advancement of Colored 

People, among other groups. 

In 1967, Mary Louise began what 

would become 45 years of service on the 

board of the Rasmuson Foundation, a 

board whose mission is to support Alaskan nonprofit organizations to help 

them become more efficient and effective in improving the quality of life for 

Alaskans. She maintained an active 

role in the affairs of the foundation and 

regularly attended board meetings 

until her late nineties. In addition to 

helping direct millions of dollars in 

grants to Alaska nonprofit organizations through the foundation, she expressed her own philanthropy to institutions like Providence Healthcare in 

Alaska, Brother Francis Shelter, and 

the Alaska Native Heritage Center. 

Perhaps her most visible impact on 

Alaska came from her service as head 

of the Municipality of Anchorage Historical and Fine Arts Commission and 

later as chair of the Anchorage Museum Foundation. Her vision, passion, 

and personal effort led to the creation 

of the Anchorage Museum of Art and 

History in 1968. 

Mary Louise was intelligent, diplomatic, principled, ethical, gentle, and 

firm. She spent her life breaking barriers, challenging conventions, and 

seeking to improve opportunities for 

those around her. Her impact can be 

felt virtually everywhere in Alaska, 

whether improving the position of families, founding a world-class museum, 

enhancing health care research, or advancing education of Alaska Native 

cultures on a national stage. Her contributions have reached every corner of 

Alaska. 

I join all Alaskans in paying my respects and honoring the extraordinary 

life of Mary Louise Rasmuson and 

know that for generations to come, everyone who walks into the Anchorage 

Museum bearing her name will be 

doing the same. May she rest in peace.

f 

∑ 

RECOGNIZING SHUCKS MAINE 

LOBSTER 

∑ Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, my home 

State has a worldwide reputation of excellence in the seafood industry. The 

natural blessings of our rich, rugged 

coast coupled with our fishermen’s 

hard work and commitment to quality 

is a recipe for success. Maine’s seafood 

industry has blossomed to prestige and 

is known for its superior product. This 

reputation has been cultivated by 

Maine’s industry leaders through years 

of careful quality control and efforts to 

foster brand recognition. I rise today 

to commend one such company— 

Shucks Maine Lobster of Richmond, 

ME that exhibits the ingenuity and innovative spirit so characteristic of the 

small businesses in Maine. 

Founded in 2007 by CEO John Hathaway, Shucks Maine Lobster is a seafood processing company with an inventive solution to the most common 

predicament with lobster—extracting 

the meat is so much work. Buying 

wild-caught lobster straight from local 

fishermen, Shucks then processes the 

whole lobster using highly pressurized 

water to loosen the shell from the 

meat. The lobsters are then carefully 

shucked by hand and packaged in a 

vacuum-sealed container for freshness 

and extended refrigerator shelf life. 

This allows for the lobster meat to be 

extracted whole—no easy feat, I assure 

you. This unique method yields fresh, 

never cooked, preshucked lobster meat 

that is now available on a large commercial scale. 


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S5972 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE August 2, 2012 

It is through the exceptional effort of 

companies such as Shucks Maine Lobster that Maine’s seafood industry has 

garnered its world renowned reputation 

for premium quality products. The 

worldwide acclaim Shucks Maine Lobster continues to receive at international food shows and chef competitions adds to the long tradition of 

Maine’s superior seafood. Their welldeserved accolades also promote Maine 

as a brand. By producing such a delicious and more user-friendly way to 

enjoy Maine’s fresh lobster, Shucks introduces and expands to new markets 

and furthers the positive reputation of 

all Maine seafood. 

The creativity, dedication, and cando spirit, so characteristic of Maine entrepreneurs, can be seen at Shucks 

Maine Lobster in abundance. From a 

small lobster shack in Kennebunkport 

to a leader in the frozen lobster industry, Shucks has seen both the challenges and rewards of seeing an opportunity and sailing towards it. I commend Shucks Maine Lobster for all 

their success and wish them well in the 

future.∑ 

f 

TRIBUTE TO JUDGE HOWARD A. 

DAWSON, JR. 

∑ Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, today I 

wish to pay tribute to Howard A. Dawson, Jr., a native son of the State of 

Arkansas, and his lifetime of exemplary service to our Nation. 

On August 21, 2012, Judge Dawson 

will celebrate the 50th anniversary of 

his appointment to the U.S. Tax Court. 

He is the longest serving judge in the 

history of the court, and one of only 

four Federal judges appointed by President Kennedy who continue to serve on 

the bench today. His longevity is remarkable, but his achievements are 

even more so. 

Judge Dawson hails from Okolona, 

AR, and comes from a long line of educators—parents, uncles, and grandparents—who made their mark in Arkansas as teachers, school superintendents, and State Education Department 

officials. 

Judge Dawson’s earliest Federal service had some ups and downs. Senator 

Hattie Caraway—the first woman Senator from Arkansas and the first 

woman in the country elected to serve 

a full term as a Senator—facilitated 

his appointment as an elevator operator in what is now the Russell Senate 

Office Building. Since then, however, 

Judge Dawson’s career has been ‘‘all 

ups.’’ 

As a young captain in the U.S. Army 

in World War II, Judge Dawson served 

in France and Germany. After graduation from law school in 1949 and a brief 

stint in private practice, Judge Dawson 

joined the Internal Revenue Service Office of Chief Counsel and held a series 

of increasingly responsible positions, 

rising to assistant chief counsel, administration, at the time of his appointment to the Tax Court bench in 

1962. 

At the court in the late 1960s, Judge 

Dawson worked with his mentor, fellow 

Arkansan, and chairman of the powerful House Committee on Ways and 

Means, Congressman Wilbur D. Mills, 

to help shape legislation that reformed 

the Tax Code and the U.S. Tax Court. 

Judge Dawson also worked to establish 

the small tax case procedure, which 

has made the arcane world of tax litigation accessible to self-represented 

taxpayers, and he became the first 

judge in charge of the small tax case 

division. 

During his five decades of service to 

the Tax Court, Judge Dawson’s colleagues have three times chosen him as 

their chief judge. His work ethic is legendary, and he has authored some 1,200 

opinions. But his contributions go far 

beyond his legal opinions, for with 

kindness, patience, and humor he has 

made his mark on the lives and careers 

of many at the court as colleague, 

mentor, and friend. 

Judge Dawson has been supported in 

this work by his wife of more than 66 

years, Marianne Dawson. Judge Dawson exemplifies the very best qualities 

of both a jurist and a public servant, 

and it is with great pleasure that I rise 

to salute him today.

f 

∑ 

TRIBUTE TO JUDGE HOWARD A. 

DAWSON, JR. 

∑ Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, today 

I wish to honor the longest serving 

judge in the history of the U.S. Tax 

Court—Judge Howard A. Dawson, Jr.— 

who will mark his 50th year as a Federal judge on August 21, 2012. 

Judge Dawson, a native of Okolona, 

AR, comes from a family of Arkansas 

educators. Because of his 

groundbreaking work to unify many 

rural schools in Arkansas, Judge 

Dawson’s father was dubbed ‘‘Dr. Rural 

Education.’’ That reputation earned 

Judge Dawson’s father a position within the Department of Interior and the 

family relocated to Washington, DC. 

Judge Dawson started his Federal 

service right here at the U.S. Capitol 

complex. A fellow Arkansan, Hattie 

Caraway—the first woman to win election to the U.S. Senate—helped Judge 

Dawson get a job as an elevator operator in what is now the Russell Senate 

Office Building 

During World War II, Judge Dawson 

served as a captain in the U.S. Army, 

where he was stationed in France and 

Germany. After the war, he earned his 

law degree at George Washington University School of Law. Judge Dawson 

eventually joined the Internal Revenue 

Service Office as chief of counsel after 

a brief time working in private practice. In 1962, Judge Dawson was appointed to the Tax Court bench by 

President John F. Kennedy. 

Well respected among his peers, 

Judge Dawson was chosen to be chief 

judge three times during his five-decade tenure. He has authored over 1,200 

opinions, but he is also known for contributions that extend beyond his legal 

writings. 

As a judge, Dawson worked with fellow Arkansan, Wilbur Mills, to help 

shape the legislation that created today’s U.S. Tax Court as an independent 

judicial body under article I of the Constitution. 

In order to help self-represented taxpayers, Judge Dawson worked to establish the small tax case procedure to 

simplify and allow tax litigation to be 

more accessible. He became the first 

judge in charge of the small tax case 

division. 

I would like to recognize Judge Howard A. Dawson, Jr., for his commendable service as a Federal judge. I am 

proud of his contribution to our Nation 

and to the Natural State.

f 

∑ 

MESSAGES FROM THE PRESIDENT 

Messages from the President of the 

United States were communicated to 

the Senate by Mr. Pate, one of his secretaries. 

f 

EXECUTIVE MESSAGES REFERRED 

As in executive session the Presiding 

Officer laid before the Senate messages 

from the President of the United 

States submitting sundry nominations 

which were referred to the appropriate 

committees. 

(The messages received today are 

printed at the end of the Senate proceedings.) 

f 

MESSAGES FROM THE HOUSE 

At 12:03 p.m., a message from the 

House of Representatives, delivered by 

Mrs. Cole, one of its reading clerks, announced that the House has passed the 

following bill, in which it requests the 

concurrence of the Senate: 

H.R. 5986. An act to amend the African 

Growth and Opportunity Act to extend the 

third-country fabric program and to add 

South Sudan to the list of countries eligible 

for designation under that Act, to make 

technical corrections to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States relating to 

the textile and apparel rules of origin for the 

Dominican Republic-Central America-United 

States Free Trade Agreement, to approve the 

renewal of import restrictions contained in 

the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 

2003, and for other purposes. 

ENROLLED BILLS SIGNED

The President pro tempore (Mr. 

INOUYE) reported that he had signed 

the following enrolled bills, previously 

signed by the Speaker of the House: 

S. 679. An act to reduce the number of executive positions subject to Senate confirmation. 

S. 1959. An act to require a report on the 

designation of the Haqqani Network as a foreign terrorist organization and for other purposes. 

At 2:52 p.m., a message from the 

House of Representatives, delivered by 

Mr. Novotny, one of its reading clerks, 

announced that the House has passed 

the following bills, in which it requests 

the concurrence of the Senate: 

H.R. 897. An act to provide authority and 

sanction for the granting and issuance of 


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