E 1104 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks May 24, 1995

ACADEMY NOMINATIONS FOR U.S.

CITIZENS IN THE CNMI

HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD OF GUAM

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, May 23, 1995

Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, today I

am introducing legislation that will provide the

U.S. citizens of the Commonwealth of the

Northern Mariana Islands with the same opportunity to attend the U.S. military academies

as is enjoyed by the people of Guam and

other non-State areas of our country.

This bill authorizes the Northern Marianas

Resident Representative, the official elected at

large to represent the Commonwealth before

the Federal Government, to nominate candidates to fill one vacancy at each of the three

military academies.

Currently, the people of the Northern Marianas face restricted access to West Point, Annapolis, and Colorado Springs. As U.S. citizens, they are eligible for nomination to the

military academies. The Northern Marianas,

however, is without representation here in

Congress. Therefore, the normal route to

academy appointments—nomination by a

Member—is barred to these Americans.

The proposal to rectify this situation has received considerable prior study. Extending the

authority for nominations was recommended in

1985 by the Commission on Federal Laws that

Congress established to determine what Federal statutes should apply to the Northern Marianas.

There is also precedent for this authority to

be grated to elected officials who are not

Members of Congress. Under present law, the

Governor of Puerto Rico can make nominations, as could the Governor of the Canal

Zone before that area was returned to Panama.

Passage of the bill that I am introducing

today will help ensure that the youth of the

Northern Marianas have equal access to the

important opportunity our military academies

provide for both higher education and service

to our Nation.

THE PASSING OF MRS. AMY BULL

fCRIST

HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, May 23, 1995

Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, it is with deep

regret that I inform our colleagues of the passing of a remarkable woman Orange County’s

first lady, Mrs. Amy Bull Crist of Orange

Count, NY, this past weekend, at the age of

89.

Amy Bull Crist born on March 9, 1906 in

Brick Castle, her home in Stony Ford, NY,

was a lifelong resident of Orange County. The

building in which she was born was built by

William Bull and Sarah Wells, her direct ancestors, who in 1718 became the first European couple married in what is now Orange

County, NY.

As the daughter of Orange County’s oldest

and most illustrious family, Amy Bull Crist

could have opted for a life of leisure. Instead,

at an early age she determined to devote her

life to the service of others.

When she was only 18—soon after her

1924 graduation from Middletown High

School—she was invited to try her hand at

teaching. Weary of farm work on the family

estate, she eagerly grasped the opportunity to

teach and within the next 15 years, as she

taught in one-room schoolhouses, at

Goosetown School in Hamptonburgh and at

Cross Roads School in Montgomery, she became known county wide as one of the most

outstanding educators in the region. Amy

looked after her students like a doting parent,

arranging dental and eyeglass appointments

for those students who needed it, and in many

ways making her mark upon the lives whose

education was entrusted to her expertise and

compassion. Subsequently she served as principal at Goodwill School. By the time of her retirement in the mid-1970’s, Amy had risen to

become our region’s top education administrator, serving not only as district superintendent of schools for Orange and Ulster County,

but also as district superintendent and executive officer for the Board of Cooperative Educational Services [BOCES].

Recognizing that our young people are our

most valuable resource, Amy determined that

education was the most worthwhile endeavor

to which she could devote herself. Her lifelong

career as an educator was a living testament

to those who cherish this investment in our future. As a grade school teacher, a school superintendent, and as a trustee of our Orange

County Community College which she was so

instrumental in funding, Amy Bull Crist

touched the lives of thousands of students.

She served as founder and first superintended

of Orange-Ulster BOCES for many years prior

to her 1974 retirement, and the affection and

respect in which the community held her is underscored by the fact that the BOCES complex is named in her honor.

As was typical of Amy’s style, she never

satisfied herself by resting on her laurels. She

continued to teach evening and summer classes at New York University, the State University College at New Paltz, and at Orange

County Community College in Middletown.

Amy was one of the last of her generation:

a generation which saw Orange County

progress from the farming area which her family helped to pioneer to the fastest-growing region of New York State. Throughout the many

changes which Amy witnessed in her lifetime,

she remained constant in her beliefs that

those who are more fortunate have a moral

responsibility to help neighbors enjoy more

productive lives and live up to their potential.

Amy’s philanthropic and civic endeavors in

so many important activities, including Occupations, Inc., the Orange County Mental

Health Association, the Goshen Historic Track,

the proposed Youth Facility for the Town of

Wallkill, the American Heart Association, and

so many other worthwhile endeavors, helped

make a better life for all of us.

Amy also remained active with the Arboretum Committee for Orange County Park; the

Montgomery Grange; the Presbyterian Church

in Hamptonburgh; and the Emeriti Association

of Orange County Community College. She

was an honorary member of the Order of the

Eastern Star in Walden. She organized the

Amy Bull Crist Reading Association, the Amy

Bull Crist Youth-in-Government Association,

and the Orange County Farmers Association

and Museum.

Emanuel Axelrod, who succeeded Army as

Orange-Ulster BOCES superintendent after

her retirement in 1974, said upon her passing:

‘‘She never wavered when she felt she was

right. I will never forget her. She was one of

the most outstanding people I’ve known.’’

Amy was chairman of the Orange County

museums—Hill Hold and Brick House—the

original lands and buildings of her family. She

was well known for presiding at the well-publicized Bull family summer reunions which

brought together her many relatives from

throughout the United States and the world

and which on occasion I had the pleasure of

attending.

Amy, the widow of the late Clarence H.

Crist, is survived by a large family including

her sister, Molly B. Bazemore of Augusta, GA;

two nieces, including Mary Ann Cohen of Goshen, NY; four nephews, including Michael K.

Brown of Campbell Hall, NY, and William Bull

Brown of Middletown; 19 great-nieces and

great-nephews; and 13 great-great nieces and

great-great nephews.

I often relied upon Amy for advice and assistance in many of my responsibilities in the

Congress. She always had a patient ear, a

keen insight, and a helping hand.

Amy left us this past weekend; peacefully in

her sleep at her home, Brick Castle—the

same home in which she was born 89 years

earlier!

Our county, our region, and our State will

long miss Orange County’s First Lady, Amy

Bull Crist.

Mr. Speaker, I call upon all of my colleagues to join with me in paying tribute to a

truly remarkable lady.

A TRIBUTE TO JAMES SMITH

fHON. JERRY LEWIS OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Tuesday, May 23, 1995

Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I

would like to bring to your attention the fine

work and outstanding public service of Mr.

James Smith of Ridgecrest, CA. Jim, a dedicated professional and longtime community

activist, is retiring as the manager of Administration for North American Chemical Co. A

tribute dinner will be held in his honor on June

2 to honor his more than 40 years of support

to the chemical industry.

Jim Smith graduated from Loyola University

in Los Angeles in 1954 and served 2 years in

the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Following

graduation, Jim went to work for American

Potash and Chemical Corp. where he served

in supervisory and management positions at

plants across the country. In 1967, Jim went

to work for Kerr McGee Chemical Corp. of

Trona where for 23 years he fulfilled critical

functions relating to labor relations, environmental relations, and community relations. In

1990, Jim went to work at North American

Chemical Co. where he has served as manager of Administration and Regulatory Affairs

and most recently, as special assistant for

public affairs.

To say the least, Jim has played an extraordinary and active role in our community. He is

a board member of the Fire Mountain Foundation, the Ridgecrest Chamber of Commerce,

the Chemical Industry Council of California,