Annie Kuster: “I thank the chairwoman for yielding, and I thank our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. I am so thrilled today…”

“I thank the chairwoman for yielding, and I thank our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. I am so thrilled today to rise in favor of the Christa McAuliffe Commemorative Coin Act. Christa McAuliffe was a teacher at my alma mater, Concord High School, and she was my hero. Christa was smart; she was charming; she was the kind teacher who left her mark on countless students through her willingness to do whatever it took to help them succeed. The Concord and broader New Hampshire community was thrilled when she was chosen out of over 10,000 applicants as NASA's first teacher in space. Her mission was to inspire a generation of American students to look toward the sky and pursue careers in science. And her motto, as Mr. Hoyer noted: ``I touch the future. I teach.'' She cared about America, and every year she invited my mother, former State Senator Susan McLane, into her classroom so that her students would know about our government and opportunities for their future. Her husband, Steve, and their two children, were important in our community. And I am reminded of the story, when President Bush announced Christa's appointment, he whispered into Steve's ear: ``You will be making your dinner a lot more on your own.'' Tragically, on January 28, 1986, Christa, along with six other members of the Challenger Space Shuttle crew, perished when the shuttle exploded.…”