FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 3, 2009
Posted: 11/4/2009
Contact: Libby Rodke Washburn (651) 343-4660 washburn@udall.gov or Ellen Wheeler (520) 349-2197 wheeler@udall.gov
PRESIDENT SIGNS INTO LAW S. 1818 TO ENHANCE THE UDALL FOUNDATION AND HONOR STEWART L. UDALL
EVENT PLANNED TO HONOR STEWART L. UDALL
Today, President Barack Obama signed into law S. 1818, to enhance the Udall Foundation and simultaneously honor one of the great public servants and foremost environmental visionaries of the era, Stewart L. Udall. The law renames the agency the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation, in recognition of the historic Interior Secretary's contributions to this country.
On November 13, 2009, at 1:30 p.m., the Udall Foundation will host an event open to the public in Tucson, Arizona, to honor Stewart Udall and celebrate the passage of this legislation and the addition of his name to the Udall Foundation.
PLACE & TIME: Tucson, Arizona 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. In front of the Udall Foundation Building, 130 S. Scott Avenue
300 Attendees Expected
SPEAKERS:
- Honorable Stewart L. Udall
- U.S. Senator Tom Udall (NM)
- U.S. Senator Mark Udall (CO)
- Rep. Raul Grijalva (AZ)
- Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (AZ)
- Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Hayes
- Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard
- Emcee: Terry Bracy, Chair, Udall Foundation
The Udall Foundation was created initially to honor the legacy of the late Morris Udall, who represented Southern Arizona in the U.S. House of Representatives for 30 years. Stewart Udall, who also represented Southern Arizona in Congress from 1955 to 1961, is Morris Udall's older brother. The two worked together on many environmental and Native American initiatives while Stewart Udall was Secretary of the Interior and Morris Udall a member of Congress. Congress recognized that the Udall legacy is really a shared legacy and paid tribute to the joint legacy by recognizing Stewart Udall's vision and leadership and honoring him along with his brother Morris by including his name in the title of the Udall Foundation.
The Morris K. Udall Foundation was established by Congress in 1992 to provide federally funded scholarships for college students intending to pursue careers related to the environment, as well as to Native American students pursuing tribal policy or health care careers. The Udall Foundation also offers a doctoral fellowship in environmental policy or conflict resolution and operates a Native American Congressional Internship program each summer in Washington, D.C., placing top college, graduate, and law students in Senate and House offices, the Executive Office of the President, and Cabinet agencies, where they learn firsthand how federal policies on tribal issues are developed.
In 1998, the Foundation grew to include the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, created by Congress as the federal government’s only program focused entirely on resolving federal environmental disputes.
The Udall Foundation’s Parks in Focus program aims to connect underserved youth to nature through the art of photography. The Foundation organizes week-long trips; introduces members of local Boys & Girls Clubs, many of whom have never before left their communities, to some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the country; provides them with Canon digital cameras to use and keep; and teaches the basics of photography, ecology, and conservation while exploring national parks, wildlife refuges, and other public lands. The Foundation will be expanding the Parks in Focus program significantly in the coming years. An important announcement will be made at the November 13 event regarding the Parks in Focus program and Stewart Udall.
Stewart L. Udall was Secretary of the Interior under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, where his accomplishments earned him a special place among all those ever to serve in that post and have made him an icon in the environmental and conservation communities. Stewart’s remarkable career in public service has left an indelible mark on the nation’s environmental and cultural heritage. Stewart Udall currently resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and will turn 90 years old in January 2010. He is the father of Senator Tom Udall from New Mexico and the uncle of Senator Mark Udall from Colorado. Mark Udall is the son of the late Morris K. Udall.
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