November 19, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E2273 

These 21st century explorers achieved a 

great engineering and scientific triumph earlier 

this year when the 770-pound Phoenix traveled 420 million miles and successfully 

parachuted to the rocky surface of Mars. That 

odds-defying landing, however, was only the 

beginning of Phoenix’s awe-inspiring accomplishments. 

On the surface of the Red Planet, Phoenix 

harnessed the power of the sun to scoop up 

and analyze the Martian soil. This data—including a series of remarkable photographs— 

was transmitted back to Earth where scientists 

made what must surely be one of the most 

significant discoveries in human history: the 

presence of frozen water. 

For as long as humankind has peered into 

the heavens, we have wondered whether or 

not we are alone in the universe. From our 

earliest ancestors to medieval theologians to 

the scientists of our day, this question has 

loomed over us like the stars themselves. 

Mars has been the focus of much of this speculation. More than 40 missions have been 

launched to explore this planet but only six 

have been successful. Foremost among them 

is the University of Arizona-led Phoenix Mars 

Mission. 

The discovery of frozen water on Mars by 

Phoenix did not definitively confirm or deny 

the age-old question of our uniqueness in the 

universe. No one ever expected it would. But 

it did give us a deeper understanding of the 

fourth planet from the sun. This new knowledge is a testimony to the creativity of the 

men and women who made Phoenix possible 

at the University of Arizona, the first public 

university to lead a mission to Mars. 

The Phoenix Mars Mission Team members 

are: Cherie Achilles, Douglas Archer, Chris 

Adams, Paul Allvin, Maria Banks, Stephanie 

Barnes, Jean Barret, Carla Bitter, Rolfe Bode, 

Matt Bomhoff, William Boynton, Robert Bovill, 

Dennis Bowers, Cassie Bowman, David 

Burke, Sanlyn Buxner, Ryan Brestel, James 

Cantone, Chewie Chu, Kevin Corcoran, Jesse 

Cornia, Michael Drake, Gerard Droege, Alex 

Ebadirad, Jacob Egan, Heather Enos, Lisa 

Fahey, Charles Fellows, Tony Ferrow, Michael 

Finch, Kenny Fine, Mike Fitzgibbon, Gwennie 

Furr, Connie Garcia, Justin Giacotto, Gabrielle 

Gilbertsen, Joseph Gotobed, Stephen Gray, 

Dave Hamara, Sara Hammond, Lori Harrison, 

Dustin Harshman, Karl Harshman, Chelsea 

Hodson, John Hughes, Robert Jaw, Monty 

Kennedy, Hamza Kolaghsi, Frankie Kolb, Melissa Lamberton, Jeffrey Landgreen, Lynn 

Lane, Therese Lane, Pamela Larrow, Abel 

Levario, Colleen Lester, Andrew Levine, Robert Logan, Douglas Lombardi, Peter Manning, 

Katelun May, Rick McCloskey, Evan McKelvy, 

Trevor Merkley, John Moores, Bryan 

Morgante, Sean Mulvey, Julie Norwood, Carroll Oquest, Jerry Penegor, Federico 

Pennacchini, Ian Phillips, Amy Philips, John 

Pursch, Siddhartha Ray, Robert Reynolds, 

Garret Richards, Joaquin Ruiz, David Sage, 

Tisha Saltzman, Walter Seaman, Jeff Seligman, Andrew Shaner, Adam Shaw, Robert 

Shelton, Chris Shinohara, Peter Smith, William 

Sperry, Lori Stiles, Johnathan Strootman, Kari 

Sturm, Roger Tanner, Lisa Tatge, Lisa Tidwell, 

Cheryl Tomoeda, Kimmie Varela, Cindi Ward, 

Heather Weisacosky, Mike Williams, Galen 

Woida, Patrick Woida, Rigel Woida, Patricia 

Wroblewski. 

I commend them for their success and for 

all they have done to expand our knowledge 

of the planet Mars. 

HONORING SISTER’S JOURNEY AS 

THEY CELEBRATE THEIR 10TH 

ANNIVERSARY 

HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO OF CONNECTICUT

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Ms. DELAURO. Madam Speaker, the first of 

November will mark an important milestone for 

an outstanding organization in my community—the 10th Anniversary of Sister’s Journey. 

Founded by my dear friend, Linda White-Epps, 

as she coped with her own battle with breast 

cancer, Sister’s Journey has been an invaluable source of comfort, compassion, and support for women diagnosed with this disease for 

the last decade. 

The diagnosis of breast cancer can be overwhelming—not only for the woman who has 

been told she has this battle to face but for 

her loved ones as well. It is important for 

women to know that they are not alone and 

that there are others who are facing comparable challenges, asking the same questions, and enduring similar hardships, physically and emotionally. That is what Sister’s 

Journey is all about. 

In facing her battle with breast cancer, Linda 

White-Epps saw the need in her community 

for a group that could help women to heal 

physically, emotionally, and spiritually. She 

recognized the need for education and advocacy, for women to share the trials and tribulations of cancer, and to celebrate survivorship. What began as a monthly support group 

meeting has grown into a community educator 

and a strong voice of advocacy for early detection and quality treatment for every woman 

fighting breast cancer. But perhaps the organization’s greatest contribution has been that of 

the Sister’s Journey annual calendar. With 

each month comes the face and the story of 

a woman still facing breast cancer or who has 

survived—each page highlighting their personal journeys. The calendar has proven to be 

a tangible example of the encouragement, 

support, and vision that is Sister’s Journey. 

Though Linda lost her battle in 2003, today 

her legacy—Sister’s Journey—is carried on by 

her family; her mother Phyllis White, and her 

daughter, Dawn White-Bracey, who serves as 

its current President. Today as members gather for the annual Pink Tea, we celebrate the 

remarkable 10 years this organization has 

been supporting those struggling with the ongoing challenges of breast cancer. I am proud 

to stand today to pay tribute to Sister’s Journey and their decade of good work. We all 

hope for a time when breast cancer will no 

longer be a threat to our health, until then, our 

community could not be more fortunate than 

to have Sister’s Journey for those in need. 

f 

EARMARK DECLARATION 

HON. JERRY WELLER OF ILLINOIS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Mr. WELLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I 

rise today to identify an earmark that I obtained in H.R. 2638—Homeland Security Division D for the Coast Guard account for the 

Elgin, Joliet, and Eastern Railway Company 

Bridge, Morris, IL in the amount of $2,000,000. 

In February 1995, the Coast Guard declared 

the EJ&E Bridge across the Illinois Waterway 

to be an unreasonable obstruction to navigation and issued an Order to Alter. The EJ&E 

Bridge is the most hit bridge on the entire inland river system. 

Funding will allow design and construction 

for widening the width between the bridge 

piers. Currently, the width of the EJ&E Bridge 

is only 113 feet. Typically, barge tows that operate within the inland river system are 105 

feet wide, leaving only a total of 8 feet of room 

for the barge to fit between the piers. According to the Coast Guard, modifications made to 

this bridge will save $1.1 million in damage 

each year. Funding this project will make the 

Illinois River safer for maritime traffic and will 

substantially reduce the number of accidents 

at this site. 

The entity to receive funding for this project 

is the United States Coast Guard located at 

Office of Bridge Administration, CG3–PWB 

Room 3500, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 

2100 Second Street, SW., Washington, DC 

20593. It is my understanding that the funding 

would be used to the design and construction 

for widening the width between the bridge 

piers. I certify that neither I nor my spouse has 

any direct financial interest in this project. 

Consistent with the Republican Leadership’s 

policy on earmarks, I hereby certify that to the 

best of my knowledge this request (1) is not 

directed to an entity or program named or will 

be named after a sitting Member of Congress 

(exception must be justified here); (2) is not intended for a ‘‘front’’ or ‘‘pass through’’ entity; 

and (3) meets or exceeds all statutory requirements for matching funds where applicable. 

f 

HONORING HELEN JONES, M.D. 

HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today to congratulate Dr. Helen Jones upon 

being awarded with the ‘‘Community Health 

Champions Award’’ at the 2008 West Fresno 

Health Care Coalition’s 4th annual ‘‘This is 

Your Life of Service’’ dinner and award ceremony. This year the ceremony will be held at 

the Radisson Hotel Conference Center in 

Fresno, California on Friday, October 24th. 

Dr. Jones was raised in San Francisco, 

California. She graduated from Lowell High 

School, one of the oldest and most prestigious 

schools in the San Francisco school district. 

She earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in biochemistry from the University of California, 

Berkley and her Medical Doctorate from the 

University of California, San Francisco. Dr. 

Jones also attended classes at the Universities of California, Irvine and Riverside and 

attended summer courses in biomedical engineering at Clark College in Atlanta, Georgia. 

She originally made her way to Fresno to train 

under Dr. Howard Morelli, the former dean at 

the University of California, San Francisco. 

Currently, Dr. Jones is in private practice with 

Internal Medicine Associates and was formerly 

with Linder-Quann Medical Group. 

In addition to being an internist, Dr. Jones 

specializes in palliative medicine, a form of 

medical care or treatment that concentrates on 

reducing the severity of disease symptoms 


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