January 13, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E73 

INTRODUCTION OF THE 

WAKEFIELD ACT 

HON. JIM MATHESON OF UTAH

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 

Mr. MATHESON. Madam Speaker, I rise to 

introduce the Wakefield Act, which reauthorizes the Emergency Medical Services for Children Program. 

It is the only Federal program that focuses 

on saving the lives and health of children 

needing emergency medical treatment. 

This year is the program’s 25th anniversary 

and I am proud to be the lead sponsor along 

with Representative PETER KING. 

Unfortunately, millions of kids find themselves in our Nation’s emergency rooms every 

year. Thanks to the Wakefield Act, doctors, 

nurses, and first-responders now have much 

greater knowledge about what works and what 

doesn’t work, when these small patients come 

through the emergency room door. 

Since the program began, child injury death 

rates have dropped 40 percent. The research 

that resulted from this legislation helped establish pediatric emergency medicine as its own 

specialty. Data collection and training seminars—including from the Emergency Medical 

Services for Children Data Analysis Center 

based in my district at the University of Utah— 

have been provided to thousands of medical 

personnel. 

The program’s authorization expired in September 2005. In the summer of 2006, the Institutes of Medicine released a report which documented the value of the program. It also 

noted the gaps that remain in providing quality 

emergency care for children. There is a serious gap between the percentage of kids who 

end up in the ER and the percentage of emergency rooms that are staffed, trained, and 

equipped to respond appropriately. The report’s bottom line—this program is ‘‘well positioned to assume a leadership role’’ in closing 

the gap. 

It’s endorsed by over 50 organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics 

and the American College of Emergency Physicians. 

Madam Speaker, this legislation enhances 

the program by authorizing the funding needed to ensure that progress continues in this 

specialty. I look forward to working with my 

colleagues toward its adoption. 

f 

A TRIBUTE TO HOWARD WEAVER 

HON. DORIS O. MATSUI OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 

Ms. MATSUI. Madam Speaker, I rise today 

in recognition of Howard Weaver’s 40 years of 

service and journalistic integrity in the newspaper business. Mr. Weaver is retiring from 

the McClatchy Company leaving a lasting legacy in Sacramento where his leadership and 

expertise will be deeply missed. I ask all my 

colleagues to join me in honoring one of our 

Nation’s finest journalists. 

After earning his bachelor’s degree in social 

and behavioral sciences from Johns Hopkins 

University and his masters in philosophy from 

Cambridge, Mr. Weaver has spent more then 

three decades in the newspaper industry. He 

began his career in 1972 as a reporter for the 

Anchorage Daily News. In 1977 he founded 

the Alaska Advocate, a statewide weekly 

newspaper. After the closure of the Alaska Advocate in 1979, Mr. Weaver returned to the 

Daily News as an editorial writer. He was 

named managing editor in 1981 and assumed 

full editorial responsibility in May 1983. 

During his tenure at the Anchorage Daily 

News, the newspaper won numerous awards 

including being named one of the world’s 25 

best designed newspapers, best sports section, and best feature writing. Mr. Weaver 

twice led the Anchorage Daily News to win 

Pulitzer Prizes. He was one of three reporters 

whose coverage of the Alaska Teamsters 

Union during construction of the trans-Alaska 

pipeline, ‘‘Empire: The Alaska Teamsters 

Story,’’ won the Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for 

Public Service in 1976. In 1989 he again was 

awarded prize for his work as editor and a 

lead writer on the Daily News’ ‘‘A People in 

Peril,’’ coverage of alcoholism and suicide 

among Alaska Natives and has served as a 

Pulitzer Prize juror at the invitation of the Pulitzer Board four times. Mr. Weaver is the past 

president of the Alaska Newspaper Association and the Upper Yukon River Press Club 

and was a Distinguished Lecturer in Journalism at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. 

In 1995 Mr. Weaver moved to Sacramento 

to assume the position of assistant to the 

president for new media strategies at 

McClatchy Newspapers and was named editor 

of the editorial pages for the Sacramento Bee 

in 1997. Most recently he served as vice 

president of news and is senior editorial executive for the McClatchy Company. In addition, 

his writings have been published in the New 

York Times, the Washington Post, and Time 

Magazine. While at McClatchy Newspapers, 

which publishes 31 daily and more than 50 

community newspapers and related Web sites, 

the editorial pages in the Sacramento Bee 

were named best in California by the California Newspaper Publishers Association and 

individual editorials won the Best of the West 

competition. Mr. Weaver was primarily responsible for the opinion content at the Sacramento Bee and for many years he chaired 

the editorial board meetings at which the paper’s editorial positions were decided. His excellent writing and years of expertise has ensured that Sacramento’s residents continue to 

receive up-to-date accurate information about 

pressing issues in our communities and 

across the Nation. 

Madam Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to Howard Weaver’s distinguished commitment to the newspaper industry and keeping 

Sacramento’s residents informed. Mr. Weaver’s outstanding leadership and dedication to 

journalism has allowed the McClatchy Company and the Sacramento Bee to embrace 

new venues of media and the Internet. As Mr. 

Weaver’s wife, Barbara, colleagues, family, 

and friends gather to honor his career, I ask 

all my colleagues to join me in wishing him 

continued good fortune in his future endeavors. 

RECOGNIZING WALTER DIAS FOR 

HIS COMMUNITY SERVICE ON 

GUAM 

HON. MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO OF GUAM

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 

Ms. BORDALLO. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today to recognize Walter Dias for his civic involvement and community service on Guam. 

Walter Dias, known to his family, friends, 

neighbors and coworkers, as ‘‘Wally,’’ has resided on Guam over the past 15 years and 

been active in our non-profit community. Wally 

was recently promoted by his employer, Continental Airlines, and is relocating to Hong Kong 

to assume the position of Managing Director 

of Greater China and Southeast Asia. 

Wally is the eldest of five sons and two 

daughters of Walter Sr., and Virginia Dias. He 

grew up in a small town in the resort area of 

the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania and 

earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University 

before beginning his career at Price 

Waterhouse and later at Geo Source Inc. In 

1987, Wally started his airline career in the finance division of Continental Airlines, and in 

1993, he moved from its corporate headquarters in Houston to Guam to serve as the 

Director of Marketing for Continental Micronesia. Wally was later promoted to Vice President of Sales and Marketing, a position 

through which his involvement with our nonprofit community on Guam grew. 

Wally promoted travel to the Pacific islands 

of Micronesia through a ‘‘Warmth of Paradise’’ 

campaign that he developed while at Continental Micronesia. Through this campaign, the 

cultures of the Pacific islands, including of the 

Chamorro people of the Marianas, is showcased. Wally also sought to foster greater relations between the civilian and military community on Guam, and to support education initiatives focusing on Guam’s military history. 

When Guam celebrated its 50th Annual Liberation Day in honor of the island’s liberation 

from Imperial Japanese Forces in 1944, Wally 

helped coordinate the travel of more than 

2,000 liberators to Guam for this special 

event. Wally also worked with the Military Historical Tours to fly veterans from the Battle of 

Iwo Jima for the battle’s 50th anniversary 

commemorative program. 

His work in our community extended beyond 

those of us who call Guam home. Wally 

helped coordinate the transportation of 2,000 

Kurdish refugees from Iraq to Guam, and later 

from Guam into the mainland of the United 

States for settlement, in 1996. He was instrumental in the founding of the Ayuda Foundation, a humanitarian organization that has 

helped thousands of people from the Micronesian islands access medical supplies and 

health care. Wally also helped establish the 

Wings for Life One Pass medical account program. To this day, the program has helped 

transport more than a hundred patients to receive proper medical treatment. These are 

lasting examples of Wally’s efforts on behalf of 

our community on Guam and the greater Micronesia region. 

It is on the occasion of his promotion and 

relocation to Hong Kong, that the people of 

Guam recognize him for his community service and his leadership in helping to develop 

our visitor industry. 


rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with REMARKS