Cliff Stearns: “I rise today to recognize the dedication of the Ted Williams Retrospective Museum and Library in Citrus Springs, FL. It…”

“I rise today to recognize the dedication of the Ted Williams Retrospective Museum and Library in Citrus Springs, FL. It is my privilege to stand before the House to congratulate my long-time friend and constituent, Ted Williams, on this, his latest in a long list of achievements. Ted, always a consummate baseball player, began to attain climacteric accomplishments early in his career. In fact, he still holds the record for the highest batting average for a season, a feat he accomplished in 1941 when he hit 406. And in 1942, Ted hit the first of his two triple crowns--a feat that no other player has since repeated. But, Ted is more than just a baseball player. He is also a patriotic American. He left the game of baseball in 1943 to serve his country in World War II as a Marine Corp fighter pilot. He returned to baseball in 1946, a year in which he won the MVP award. It seems as if Ted Williams has done it all. He rates as one of the greatest baseball players in the history of the game. He is a patriot, a star, and an upstanding member of our community. He is an American legend, a hero to many of us. Thus, it should come as no surprise to note that he is the first living athlete to have a museum built for him. No one deserves it more.”