In Recognition of the Chian Federation on the Occasion of Its 30th Anniversary and 27th Homeric Award Gala

IN RECOGNITION OF THE CHIAN FEDERATION ON THE OCCASION OF ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY AND 27TH HOMERIC AWARD GALA -- (Extensions of Remarks - November 20, 2004)

Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the Chian Federation, on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. Since its founding in 1974, the Chian Federation has educated and empowered the Hellenic American community to exercise their rights and fulfill their obligations as American citizens. The Chian Federation has a strong record of advocating human rights and striving to promote democratic ideals. The members of the board of this outstanding organization are: Alexandros Doulis, President, Stavros Haviaras, Executive Vice President, Mike Frezoulis, First Vice President, John Monogioudis, Second Vice President George Arnitsis, Executive Secretary, Kalliopi Volikas-Theodoropoulos, General Secretary, Nikolaos Papagiannakis, CFO, John Stoupakis, Treasurer, Kostas Potamousis, Assistant Treasurer, and Elsa Tsartsidou, Director of the Federation's Cultural Center. In addition to its political objectives, the organization takes pride in its dance group, cultural events, website, magazine, business card exchanges, food, clothing and toy drives, Senior Citizens' breakfast and lectures on topics ranging from archaeology to health care.

The Federation's accomplishments extend beyond the borders of the United States. On Chios, The Chian Federation has financially aided nursing homes, environmental groups for reforestation of the island, the Korais Library and the Office of the Repatriated Chians Organization, in addition to making substantial donations to the educational and health systems of Chios.

In 1977, the Chian Federation established the Homeric Award to recognize individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the Hellenic community. This year's Homeric Award recipient is Stamatios M. "Tom" Krimigis. The former Head of the Space Department of The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Dr. Krimigis' research interests include the earth's environment and magnetosphere; the sun; the interplanetary medium; and the magnetospheres of the planets and other astrophysical objects. He has been Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on several NASA space missions, including the Low Energy Charged Particle Experiment on Voyagers 1 and 2 and the Active Magnetospheric Particle Tracer Explorer, a collaborative program that created the first man-made comet on December 27, 1984.

Dr. Krimigis is the author of more than 370 academic papers; was awarded the NASA Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement in 1981 and 1986; and has received more than thirty NASA Group Achievement Awards for his work on the Voyager, AMPTE, Galileo, Ulysses, Cassini, and ACE projects. Dr. Krimigis has also been a member of the National Academy of Sciences' Space Science Board; Chairman of the Board's Committee on Solar and Space Physics; a member of NASA's Space Science and Applications Advisory Committees; a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the American Physical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science; an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and trustee of the International Academy of Astronautics. He received the International Academy of Astronautics Basic Sciences Award and the AHEPA Academy Prize, both in 1994. At the World Space Congress in 2002, he was presented with the COSPAR Space Science Award, the highest honor that the worldwide space science community can bestow. In November 2004, he was presented with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Lifetime Achievement Award. He has participated as member or Chairman in many national and international conferences in space science and space systems management, has delivered more than 1,100 talks on these topics, and has lectured in major conferences and National Academies in all five continents. The International Astronomical Union in 1999 named asteroid "8323 Krimigis" in his honor. The President of the Hellenic Republic awarded Dr. Krimigis the Gold Cross "Commandeur de l' Ordre du Phoénix" in 1997. Also, the American Hellenic Institute honored him with its "Hellenic Heritage Achievement Award" in Washington in 1998.

Dr. Krimigis has often testified before Congressional Committees on issues of Space Science and Technology and has been a member or chairman of many advisory committees for the U.S. government. He is often quoted in national and international media on space science and technology issues, most recently on the Voyager crossing of the heliospheric termination shock and the Cassini orbits of Saturn. His work on Voyager has been featured as front-page news in the New York Times three times and has appeared in many other newspapers and magazines throughout the world. He is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in Frontiers of Science and Technology, Who's Who in Technology Today, Personalities of America, American Men and Women of Science, Men of Achievement, International Who's Who of Contemporary Achievement and the Dictionary of International Biography.

Dr. Krimigis is truly a man "axios" (worthy) of the Homeric Award and I offer him my best wishes for many more years of outstanding achievements.

I ask my colleges to join me recognizing the Chian Federation and its honoree, Dr. Tom Krimigis.