The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TRIBUTE TO DR. KNOX MELLON” mentioning the Department of Interior was published in the Senate section on pages S6942-S6943 on Nov. 27, 2012.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO DR. KNOX MELLON
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I wish to take this opportunity to recognize the extraordinary service of Dr. Knox Mellon who is retiring from the California Missions Foundation after 8 years as its executive director. Though he will be missed, his contributions to the field of historic preservation will benefit generations to come.
Dr. Mellon has had a long and distinguished career in the field of historic preservation. In 1977, he was appointed as California's first professional State Historic Preservation Officer by Governor Jerry Brown. He served in that position until 1983 and then branched out on his own, starting Knox Mellon and Associates, a consulting firm specializing in historic preservation, oral history, historic research, and strategic planning. Dr. Mellon's firm worked on a number of historic buildings in Southern California, including the Downtown Central Library in Los Angeles, Los Angeles City Hall, the Beverly Hills Hotel, and the L.A. Coliseum. During the same time, Dr. Mellon also found time in his busy schedule to serve as an Adjunct Professor of History at the University of California, Riverside, as well as the Director of the Mission Inn Foundation. In 2000, Dr. Mellon was appointed to a second term as California's State Historic Preservation Officer, this time by Governor Gray Davis. In 2004, he retired from State service and became the executive director of the nonprofit California Missions Foundation.
Founded in 1998, the California Missions Foundation is the only organization dedicated solely to the long-term preservation and restoration of California's 21 missions. Early in Dr. Mellon's tenure as executive director, we worked together with Congressman Sam Farr and Senator Dianne Feinstein to pass the California Missions Preservation Act. At a 2005 event to celebrate this new law, Dr. Mellon eloquently discussed the historic value of California's missions, which are the most visited historic attractions in the State:
The missions are California's Pyramids. They are a part of our past. They help symbolize the nation's western beginnings. Of all the institutions that define California's heritage, none has the historic significance and emotional impact of the chain of Spanish missions that stretch from San Diego to Sonoma. The missions are an important part of the state's cultural fabric and must be preserved as priceless historic monuments.
During Dr. Mellon's tenure as executive director, the California Missions Foundation received a number of grants to preserve and restore California's missions, including four grants from the Department of Interior totaling $2.28 million. With those funds, the California Missions Foundation was able to repair some of the extensive earthquake damage at Mission San Miguel; complete a seismic retrofit at Mission San Luis Rey; and stabilize buildings and preserve artwork and artifacts at the Carmel and Santa Barbara missions.
California's residents and visitors alike benefit from Dr. Mellon's hard work, expertise, and vision each time they visit one of California's beautiful and historic missions.
I thank Dr. Mellon for his service to the State of California, and wish him and his wife Carlotta the very best as they embark on the next exciting phase of their lives.
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