congressional_record: CREC-2000-12-15-pt1-PgS11814-3
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| CREC-2000-12-15-pt1-PgS11814-3 | 2000-12-15 | 106 | 2 | THE HISTORY OF OLDSMOBILE | SENATE | SENATE | ALLOTHER | S11814 | S11815 | [{"name": "Spencer Abraham", "role": "speaking"}] | 146 Cong. Rec. S11814 | Congressional Record, Volume 146 Issue 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000) [Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)] [Senate] [Pages S11814-S11815] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] THE HISTORY OF OLDSMOBILE Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, today I rise to comment on a development that took place in my State this week. It was with great sadness that I heard of the phasing out of the Oldsmobile line of cars within the General Motors family. Over the last 105 years, Oldsmobile has been a Lansing, MI, and a State institution and, obviously, a national and international one as well. It was started 105 years ago when Ransom Eli Olds of Lansing, MI, teamed with Frank Clark, the son of a small carriage shop operator, to achieve what many believed impossible. They successfully produced a self-contained gasoline-powered carriage, and with it Oldsmobile was officially born in 1897. Throughout its history, Oldsmobile has enjoyed a number of firsts: the first assembly line; and with the production of the curved dash, the first mass producer of gasoline cars; in 1905, two Oldsmobiles finished the very first transcontinental race from New York to Portland, OR, in 45 days; in 1940, models featured the Hydra-Matic drive, making this lineup the first vehicles with fully automatic transmissions; in 1966, Oldsmobile introduced the Toronado, the first modern-day front-wheel drive car; in 1974, that Toronado became the first American car to offer a driver's side airbag. Millions of Americans have come to love their Oldsmobiles. An Olds convertible was the standard for transporting a Homecoming queen or a float parade when I was growing up. And an Oldsmobile sedan was the epitome of the middle-class family dream. All of this was made possible by the hard work and the commitment to affordable quality that was the hallmark of Oldsmobile in that division of General Motors. On a personal level, I have a special stake in all of this, as well. Not only did I grow up in Lansing, MI, the home of Oldsmobile, but for almost 20 years my dad worked on the line at the Oldsmobile main assembly plant there. It is [[Page S11815]] where he got his start, where my family came to truly appreciate how much the automobile industry means, not just to families such as ours but to our State, and especially how much the Oldsmobile meant to Michigan--Lansing, in particular. I am sad, therefore, to see the Oldsmobile go, as we have known it, but I am confident General Motors will continue to make quality, safe automobiles for generations to come. As we bring down the curtain on the Oldsmobile, I rise today to offer my praise to that company, to those who started it, and their families and descendents who still remain in the Lansing area and in Michigan; also, to all those workers who, as my father, worked over the years for that Oldsmobile division of General Motors. I think each and every one of them took to their jobs a great satisfaction, a commitment to hard work, and a tremendous pride in the craftsmanship that went into making the automobile for many generations one of this country's favorite lines of vehicles. I yield the floor and I suggest the absence of a quorum. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll. The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll. Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I inquire of the Chair, are we still in morning business? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair informs the Senator from Michigan we are in a period of morning business until the hour of 2:30. ____________________ |