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HRES 1239 IH
Honoring the life of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, explorer, researcher, and pioneer in the field of marine conservation.
June 4, 2008
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself and Mrs. CAPPS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
Honoring the life of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, explorer, researcher, and pioneer in the field of marine conservation.
Whereas Jacques-Yves Cousteau was born on June 11, 1910, in Saint-Andre-de-Cubzac, France, to Daniel and Elizabeth Cousteau;
Whereas Jacques Cousteau in 1930, after having made his preparatory studies at the College Stanislas in Paris, entered the Naval Academy in Brest and became an officer gunner;
Whereas after serving in World War II for the French Army, he was decorated with the Legion of Honor, France's highest honor;
Whereas in 1950, Jacques Cousteau founded the French Oceanographical Campaigns (COF), and he leased a ship called Calypso and equipped her as a mobile laboratory for field research and as a support base for diving and filming where he traversed the most interesting seas of the planet as well as big and small rivers;
Whereas from 1952 to 1953, Jacques Cousteau took the Calypso to the Red Sea and shot the first color footage ever taken at a depth of 150 feet, for a documentary titled `The Silent World';
Whereas `The Silent World' was made using skin-diving gear Cousteau invented with engineer Emile Gagnan in 1943, freeing divers from heavy helmets and allowing them to be free and weightless as if in space;
Whereas in 1956, `The Silent World' won the top award at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in the United States;
Whereas in 1973, Jacques Cousteau, with his two sons Jean Michele and Philippe and Frederick Hyman, created the Cousteau Society for the Protection of Ocean Life, today boasting a membership of over 360,000 people;
Whereas in 1977, Jacques Cousteau and Peter Scott were awarded the United Nations International Environment prize;
Whereas in 1977, the `Cousteau Odyssey' series premiered on PBS and 7 years later, the `Cousteau Amazon' series premiered on television;
Whereas in 1985, Jacques Cousteau received the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan;
Whereas throughout all of his voyages, Jacques Cousteau produced over 120 films and authored or contributed to roughly 50 books; and
Whereas Jacques Cousteau passed away in Paris on June 25, 1997, after spending a lifetime of 87 years inventing, exploring, and storytelling: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors the life, achievements, and distinguished career of Jacques Cousteau, explorer, researcher, and pioneer in the field of marine conservation.
