In This Section...

	Rep. Grijalva [D-AZ7]: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Donald Jeffry Herbert and to express appreciation for his great educational contributions. Donald Herbert was born...
	Rep. Bishop [R-UT1]: Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 485, expressing appreciation for the profound...
	Rep. Ehlers [R-MI3]: Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. And had I been your teacher, you never would have disliked any science course. I would have been delighted to...

Record Text

Rep. Raul Grijalva [D-AZ7]: Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 485) expressing appreciation for the profound public service and educational contributions of Donald Jeffry Herbert, fondly known as "Mr. Wizard".

The Clerk read the title of the resolution.

Chair: Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop) each will control 20 minutes.

Rep. Raul Grijalva [D-AZ7]: Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Chair: Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arizona?

Rep. Raul Grijalva [D-AZ7]: Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Donald Jeffry Herbert and to express appreciation for his great educational contributions.

Donald Herbert was born in Waconia, Minnesota, on July 10, 1917. He graduated from La Crosse State Teachers College in 1940, where he studied to become a science teacher. Before Don Herbert could make an educational contribution, he first served in the United States Army Air Force in World War II. During his service to our country, he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters.

Don Herbert is best known for developing an idea which became "Watch Mr. Wizard," a live television show which introduced many children to science. This show aired from 1951 to 1964. Don Herbert, who came to be known as Mr. Wizard, also produced another children's show from 1983 to 1990 titled "Mr. Wizard's World."

Mr. Wizard was able to explain seemingly difficult science to children with visually stunning experiments. Mr. Wizard amazed all of us that watched that show. He could make a Bunsen burner change colors by the elements that he used on there. He could take two colored solutions, pour them into a beaker and it would become clear.

And today, when there is such an emphasis across this country and by this Congress to instill an appreciation and a love for science among our students, and among the children of this country, Mr. Wizard stands as a great example and a wonderful show that did just that, stimulated interest and created appreciation among children for science.

Don Herbert's television programs inspired generations of children to become knowledgeable in science. These educational television programs earned Don Herbert a Peabody Award in 1954. He also won three Thomas Edison National Mass Media Awards and the Robert Millikan Award from the American Association of Physics Teachers.

Don Herbert realized that an education including science and technology is a necessary component in forming a productive and competitive society. While he passed away on June 12, 2007, his great contributions to advancement of the education in the field of science will continue to have effects for many, many years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Rep. Rob Bishop [R-UT1]: Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 485, expressing appreciation for the profound public service and educational contributions of Donald Jeffry Herbert, fondly known to all of us of my generation as "Mr. Wizard."

Donald Jeffry Herbert will be remembered as the host of two popular children's television shows about science. A general science and English major at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, he showed interest in drama until his career as an actor was interrupted by World War II when he enlisted in the United States Army as a private.

He later joined the United States Air Corps, took pilot training and became a B-24 bomber pilot who flew combat missions with the 15th Air Force, flying out of a base in Italy. As the gentleman from Arizona said, he distinguished himself in combat, winning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with the three oak leaf clusters.

After the war, Herbert worked at a radio station in Chicago where he acted in children's programs such as the documentary health series "It's Your Life." It was during that time that Herbert formulated the idea of Mr. Wizard and a general science experiments show that utilized the new medium of television. Herbert's idea was accepted by a Chicago NBC station, and the series "Watch Mr. Wizard" premiered on March 3, 1951. That was even before I was born.

The weekly 30-minute show featured Herbert as Mr. Wizard, with a young assistant who watched while Herbert performed interesting science experiments. The experiments, many of which seemed impossible at first glance, were usually simple enough to be recreated by viewers. The show was very successful, and 547 live episodes were created before it was cancelled in 1965. It was briefly revived by NBC during the 1971-1972 season. In 1953 Herbert won a Peabody Award for his work on this program.

In 1983, Herbert developed "Mr. Wizard's World," a faster-paced version of the show that was shown three times a week on the cable channel Nickelodeon. This show ran until 1990, and reruns were shown until 2000, making it the longest-running show on Nickelodeon.

In 1994, Herbert developed another series of 15-minute spots for Nickelodeon called "Teacher to Teacher with Mr. Wizard." The new show highlighted individual elementary school teachers and their projects and was sponsored by the Daschle Science Foundation.

Mr. Wizard inspired legions of children across the Nation. Kids in every town joined thousands of Mr. Wizard clubs and did some of the same experiments that were seen on television, sometimes even without burning up the house. Many of these young viewers went on to careers in science and all were at least taught the practicalities of science in our daily lives.

On June 12, 2007, Donald Herbert lost his battle with cancer, slightly more than a month shy of his 90th birthday at his home in Bell Canyon, California. For the immeasurable contributions he made in children's lives and to the field of science, I would ask my colleagues to support this resolution recognizing his life and work.

Mr. Speaker, I'd ask the gentleman from Arizona if he has other speakers on this particular topic. I do have one other I'd like to yield time to.

Rep. Raul Grijalva [D-AZ7]: Mr. Speaker, I will continue to reserve.

Rep. Rob Bishop [R-UT1]: Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to someone who really understands what he's talking about.

I enjoyed Mr. Wizard shows. They were fascinating. I still hated chemistry, but I enjoyed Mr. Wizard. And with that I'd like to yield to the distinguished gentleman and scientist from the State of Michigan, Mr. Ehlers.

Rep. Vernon Ehlers [R-MI3]: Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. And had I been your teacher, you never would have disliked any science course. I would have been delighted to recognize your native ability.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 485, which expresses appreciation for the profound public service and educational contributions of Donald Jeffry Herbert, who passed away on June 12, 2007.

Many people fondly remember Donald Herbert as Mr. Wizard, and they mourn his passing. He was born in Waconia, Minnesota, which also happens to be my birth State, and he graduated from the La Crosse State Teachers College in Wisconsin in 1940, where he trained to be a science teacher.

He volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Corps and served our country during World War II in the Atlantic theater and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters.

Mr. Wizard will be remembered as a pioneer of commercial educational programming. He made science education and science exciting and approachable for millions of children across the United States. He developed the idea for science programs on radio and television, culminating in "Watch Mr. Wizard," a live television show produced from 1951 to 1964. Another of his shows, "Mr. Wizard's World," inspired children from 1983 to 1990 on cable television. Incidentally, these were precursors to today's Mr. Wizard equivalent, Bill Nye, the Science Guy, who has developed an outstanding reputation on Saturday morning television for educating children about science.

The National Science Foundation and the American Chemical Society lauded Don Herbert and his show for promoting interest in science and his contributions to science education. He has since been recognized by numerous awards.

For the duration of his life, Mr. Wizard served as an ambassador for science education. Outside of his television shows, he promoted science by offering multiple books and programs and by traveling to schools to provide classroom demonstrations. Not surprisingly, Mr. Wizard's dynamic and energetic science experiments attracted unprecedented numbers of children to educational programming, even those who were initially disinterested or unmotivated in science.

Mr. Wizard taught the magic about science by doing science. In fact, Mr. Wizard encouraged children to duplicate his experiments at home, leading children into independent inquiry into science with simple household equipment.

I might add he was a precursor to what is happening in the classrooms today, because teachers have discovered the best way to teach science is to let students do the science themselves.

I also appreciate what he did in leading children into independent inquiry. I grew up before television, and so I did not have the opportunity to watch him. But I developed my interest in science by doing experiments at home. These were experiments that were outlined in Popular Science Magazine, and that gave me my start in science, just as Mr. Wizard gave many other children their start in science.

Certainly, Mr. Wizard's efforts were very important, and are relevant to legislation currently under consideration by our Congress. Evidence indicates that young children make decisions about future careers at an early age and are influenced greatly by positive contacts with science and technology. Recently passed bipartisan bills have focused on the need to improve science education, promote innovation, and ensure our Nation's competitiveness.

This year I introduced several bills related to science education, including the Science Accountability Act, H.R. 35; the Standards to Improve Educational Achievement for Kids, better known as the SPEAK Act, H.R. 325; and the National Science Education Tax Incentive for Teachers Act, H.R. 36.

Through this resolution the House of Representatives expresses its appreciation for the profound public service and educational contributions of Donald Herbert. Also, we should recognize the major impact of higher educational institutions that train teachers who encourage students to honor the heritage of Don Herbert by exploring our world through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.

I offer my condolences to the family of Don Herbert, and we thank them for their strong support of Mr. Wizard's tremendous educational efforts. He has set a path that all of us should follow, and if we are serious about competing with other nations and keeping the jobs on our soil rather than letting them be outsourced, we must follow his example and educate our children in mathematics and science so that we can continue to be ranked number one in the world in the areas of science and mathematics.

Finally, I thank the Members who cosponsored this resolution: Mr. Akin, Mrs. Biggert, Mr. Gingrey, Mr. Hall, Mr. Kuhl, Mr. Lampson, Mrs. McCarthy, Mr. John Peterson, and Mr. Mark Udall. Also, I thank the Education and Labor Committee staff for their work on this resolution, especially Chad Miller and Rob Borden, as well as my staff member, Rachel Post, who has contributed invaluably to this.

I urge all Members to vote for this resolution to honor Don Herbert for all his work on science education and to honor his memory by continuing to support science education in the future.

Rep. Rob Bishop [R-UT1]: Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Rep. Raul Grijalva [D-AZ7]: Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Chair: The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 485.