September 13, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1513 

HONORING ST. JOHN OF THE 

CROSS PARISH SCHOOL FOR 

BEING NAMED A BLUE RIBBON 

SCHOOL 

HON. DANIEL LIPINSKI OF ILLINOIS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, September 13, 2012 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 

congratulate St. John of the Cross Parish 

School, an exemplary Catholic school in Western Springs, Illinois, for receiving the prestigious 2012 U.S. Department of Education 

National Blue Ribbon School Award. As a 

member of this parish, I am especially happy 

to see the hard work of the students, teachers, 

administrators, and parents recognized, and I 

want to congratulate Principal Kathleen 

Gorman, as well as our pastor, Rev. David P. 

Dowdle. 

In 1982, the Department of Education established the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program to recognize public and private schools 

boasting high or significantly improved 

achievement. The program’s goal is to identify 

attributes of thriving American schools in order 

to replicate their success in other schools. St. 

John of the Cross is one of only 50 private 

schools across the Nation to be named as a 

National Blue Ribbon School this year. This is 

a great achievement for everyone at the 

school and all members of the parish. 

The mission of St. John of the Cross Parish 

School is to provide a safe and dynamic 

Catholic environment where faith is nourished 

and knowledge grows. The school offers challenging educational experiences that foster 

success, promote unity, and respect the individuality of each student. Since 1961, the 

school has prided itself on multi-generational 

Catholic traditions and achievement. St. John 

of the Cross has maintained a strong Catholic 

identity and strong academic standards 

throughout its history. In 2011, the school 

proudly celebrated its 50th anniversary. 

St. John of the Cross Parish School offers 

programs from preschool through eighth grade 

and attracts students from Western Springs 

and surrounding communities, currently enrolling 630 students. Since its founding, the 

school has been supported by the St. John of 

the Cross Parish and has grown to become 

one of the largest Catholic schools in Chicago’s Archdiocese. St. John of the Cross 

Parish School offers impressive science, technology, and art facilities as well as a wide 

range of student activities. All students are involved in the religious activities of the parish 

and participate in a variety of service projects. 

Today, the school benefits from the hard work 

and dedication of its principal, Kathleen 

Gorman, as well as its assistant principals, 

Zita Wheeling and Tom Clausing. This award 

recognizes the time and hard work of the 

teachers and students, as well as the critical 

support and involvement of the students’ parents and the entire parish community. I am 

delighted that the excellent work and success 

of St. John of the Cross Parish School has 

been acknowledged on a national stage. 

Please join me in celebrating the accomplishments of St. John of the Cross Parish 

School and all the National Blue Ribbon award 

winners. Their pursuit of academic excellence 

is inspiring, and I hope that their success can 

serve as a model for schools across the Nation. 

f 

IN RECOGNITION OF THE 225TH 

BIRTHDAY OF ROBESON COUNTY, 

NC 

HON. LARRY KISSELL OF NORTH CAROLINA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, September 13, 2012 

Mr. KISSELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 

honor of Robeson County, NC, and the celebration of its 225th Birthday. Incorporated in 

1787 from Bladen County, Robeson, North 

Carolina’s largest county, is home to roughly 

134,000 residents. Named after Colonel 

Thomas Robeson of the Revolutionary War, it 

boasts a rich American history. Col. Robeson 

served as one of the leaders at the Battle of 

Elizabethtown, an important battle won by the 

American patriots. 

Robeson County is also home to the 

Lumbee American Indian tribe, and according 

to the U.S. Census, has the ninth largest population of American Indians in the United 

States, making up 38% of the population. 

Robeson County is truly a diverse county. 

Robeson is also home to the University of 

North Carolina at Pembroke, a historically Native American college. 

Today, I ask all Members of Congress to 

join me in honoring Robeson County and its 

citizens, as irreplaceable assets to North 

Carolina, the state which I am proud to represent. 

f 

IN RECOGNITION OF THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CLEVELAND 

MUNICIPAL COURT 

HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH OF OHIO

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, September 13, 2012 

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the Cleveland Municipal Court which is 

celebrating its 100th anniversary this Saturday 

evening, September 15, 2012, with a Centennial Gala. 

The Cleveland Municipal Court was established by an act of the Ohio General Assembly 

in 1911. The Court, originally located on the 

northwest corner of Public Square, opened its 

doors at 9:30 a.m. on January 2, 1912. Court 

was gaveled to order that morning by Chief 

Bailiff Charles Selzer following opening remarks by Cleveland Municipal Court Chief 

Justice William H. McGannon and Judges 

David B. Cull and George P. Baer. The other 

judges on the original municipal court bench 

were William B. Beebe, Samuel E. Kramer, 

Manuel V. Levine, and Fielder Sanders. Peter 

J. Henry was the original Clerk of the Court 

who served in that position for 35 years. 

The Cleveland Municipal Court is the second oldest municipal court in the nation. Unlike the Justices of the Peace it replaced, the 

judges were required to be legally trained and 

were elected by the people rather than appointed by politicians. Also groundbreaking for 

its time, the Cleveland Municipal Court paid its 

judges and staff salaries which did not depend 

on the fines they levied on those they found 

guilty. 

Today, the Cleveland Municipal Court is located in the Justice Center Complex in Downtown Cleveland and consists of 13 elected 

judges and 14 magistrates, along with bailiffs 

and other administrative and support staff. The 

court handles misdemeanor crimes, including 

traffic, domestic, nuisance and other offenses, 

as well as civil cases if the total damages are 

$15,000 or less. Its housing court has jurisdiction over criminal cases involving violations of 

Cleveland’s housing, building, fire, zoning, 

health, waste collection, sidewalk, agriculture 

and air pollution codes. The housing court 

also hears civil cases involving landlord/tenant 

disputes. 

Prominent judges who have served on the 

Cleveland Municipal Court include the late 

Carl B. Stokes who drew national attention as 

the first African-American mayor of one of the 

ten biggest cities in the United States. Our late 

colleague Stephanie Tubbs Jones also served 

as a Cleveland Municipal Court judge prior to 

her election as Cuyahoga County Prosecutor 

and later as a Member of the U.S. House of 

Representatives. I am proud to have served 

as Clerk of Court from 1975 to 1977. 

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me 

in recognizing the important work that the 

Cleveland Municipal Court does. The Cleveland Municipal Court is one of the great institutions of our democratic system in bringing 

impartial justice to the people of Cleveland for 

the last 100 years and well into the future. 

f 

RECOGNIZING THE HEROIC ACTS 

OF TRANSPORTATION SECURITY 

OFFICERS JODY WELLMAN, 

JAMES BOSTWICK, AND CHRISTOPHER HASTINGS 

HON. ADAM SMITH OF WASHINGTON

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, September 13, 2012 

Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I 

rise to recognize the heroic acts of bravery undertaken by Jody Wellman, James Bostwick, 

and Christopher Hastings of Washington 

State, who saved the lives of two individuals. 

On the morning of Saturday, August 11, 

2012, Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) 

Jody Wellman, James Bostwick, and Christopher Hastings intervened at a time of crisis 

to save the lives of a man and a woman who 

suffered a car accident on Interstate–5 in 

Washington State. 

After colliding with a concrete utility box and 

sign post in the median of the interstate, a vehicle caught fire with a 21-year-old soldier 

from Joint Base Lewis-McChord and a 29- 

year-old female passenger inside. These courageous TSOs pulled off the interstate to assist the two passengers out of the vehicle, 

which burst into flames shortly thereafter. 

There is no doubt that these two lives were 

saved because of the heroic efforts of these 

three brave officers. 

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me 

in recognizing Jody Wellman, James Bostwick, 

and Christopher Hastings, who exemplify the 

spirit of service and commitment to one’s community. 


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