this bridge has given us, what it has meant to our city, state, and nation, from sea to shining sea. we are possesses of this bridge in this area but it is a national treasure. and it is recognized throughout the world as such. before there was a golden gate bridge, there was a golden gate, a golden gate way to america. the place where our troops came home from battle. when they came through the golden gate, they knew that they were home, safely home. it is a symbol of hope for immigrants who have come to our shore, and when they came through at golden gate, decades and decades ago and continued to do so, they knew that they could have access to the american dream.

it is a gateway to the american dream. those immigrants and those troops are all a blessing to america. we can only imagine what was in their hearts and minds as they saw that it way. 75 years ago, people of courage and innovation decided that there would be a bridge. the mayor pat the describes that it is a symbol of innovation, then and now. built in the midst of the depression, as has been referenced, this bridge is a reminder that no matter what the daunting challenge, no matter how daunting, overwhelming, other, -- america always invests in big and bold endeavors. the construction of the golden gate bridge is a history overcome the doubts, the final

thoughts, and achieving what many thought were impossible. even in an era of economic turmoil, in the middle of a depression, this bridge took just 4.5 years to build. indeed, the symbols of courage and innovation have always define this city, this region, the state, and our country, and they do still today. just think of the courage that it took for the bay area people to risk their homes, their farms, and their businesses, their very livelihood, as collateral for the bonds needed to build the bridge. just think of that sense of community. think of the curve required of joseph strauss and his colleagues when they engineered and constructed the bridge, and

it kept reporting -- repeating the words of the critics. they will never build the bridge. no one can build a bridge over the golden gate because of insurmountable difficulties. that was what was said about it at the time. 75 years ago, at the completion of the international orange marble, strauss would probably right, at last, the mighty task is done. 75 years later, we recall the words of that same poem he wrote. launched the midst of a thousand hopes and fears, and damned thousand hostile sneers, yet never its course has strayed. and here we are today, 75 years later. it is a point of personal privilege for many of us here to remember the 50th anniversary. remember that?

what a crowd we all remember the unexpected crowd that showed up to walk across the bridge. a little different from the inauguration. in the 25 years since, i have had the privilege in congress to work with so many of you here. certainly, janet is relentless and persisted in her advocacy for this bridge. appropriately, in the bridge international orange, that is how she comes into congress to remind us of what our challenges and responsibilities are. this is a bridge that we always want to strengthen. again, the approaches to it as well. janet riley, thank you for your leadership once again. [applause] it takes all of that to preserve the bridge. working together, with almost

everyone here, they have done that to ensure the bridge will remain a symbol of strength for san francisco, this area, and an iconic image of our city for future generations. today, our gift to the bridge reflects our join in celebrating the golden gate bridge. as joseph strauss wrote, and i will say again, resplendent in the western sun. that is, indeed, this morning. for san francisco and the bay area, this bridge is a faithful companion for californians, of course, a source of great pride and a symbol of who we are, the golden gate way, and for americans, is a national treasure. together, we observe the 75th anniversary. doesn't it seem like yesterday it was the 50th anniversary?

so i was see you at the 100th. in the meantime, we pledge to continue in honoring the history of this bridge for decades to come. and now, following the lead of the governor and mayor, it is my privilege to present a framed copy of the official congressional statement, record honoring the 75th anniversary of the golden gate bridge, so that my colleagues can see it and take pride in this bridge, which we honor, from sea to shining sea. thank you all very much. [applause] >> congresswoman, i think you so much, and congratulations on your anniversary and port for 25

years and even more years of service, for our city, state, and our country. it is very much appreciated. you have changed the world. thank you. [applause] and i know you will not believe this, but i have actually not an acknowledged someone in the audience, and that is our first lady of the great city and county of san francisco, anita lee. anita, welcome. [applause] now is my pleasure to induce someone who i have done very well because he has the awesome responsibility to care for this bridge we all love so much. he is also responsible for ensuring the safe crossing of the day for people in cars, people in buses, ferries, bikes, and on foot. please welcome the night general manager of the golden gate bridge highway and transportation district, mr.

dennis mulligan. [applause] >> thank you, janet. it is a pleasure to be here today with all of you to celebrate this momentous occasion. over 75 years ago, people said this bridge cannot be built. not only has it been built, but it has been cared for over these many decades. the construction and steel -- did not happen on its own. it has taken the ingenuity of designers, architects, and part of men and women in labor. this bridge has tested the time -- blasted pay test of time. this has been a national lamarck for all the speed whether painting, repairing, retrofitting, were operating the bridge, dedicated group of women and men worked nonstop to bring a tradition of public service to all of us that we can all be proud of mandibulate. representing this tradition, we have the families of some of the

original engineers and gatekeepers, the past and current bridge workers. i would never introduce the relatives of those that greeted this fabulous bridge. any project like this is a team effort. it takes civic leaders, money, creative people, and tremendous amounts of hard work. i would ask that you hold your applause until everyone has been acknowledged. we are pleased to have descendants of the original chief engineer joseph strauss with us today. lee hammill. drew and eric gottlieb. we are also fortunate to have descendants of the chief resident engineer did the construction, russell cohen. two of his granddaughters are here today. thank you for coming. we also have descendants of the

state legislature. it takes civic leaders and legislation and people who have the vision to make this happen. the bill was signed in 1923 and authorize the creation of the golden gate bridge and highway district. his granddaughter is here with us today from chicago. alan, thank you for coming so far. christopher mcdonald is the grandson of the third general manager, alan macdonald. we also have with us those of us whose fathers and grandfathers help to bridge -- bill this magnificent bridge. that then, unfortunately, it was most in men that did the construction. today, it has changed dramatically. now want to ask the current bridge workers to stand up to big knowledge. any of them around the perimeter. finally, i want to recognize someone who has been recognized at least once. gus, we are pleased to have you here. you were a teenager when you

work on the bridge. we are so blessed to have you here today. thank you for being here. [applause] when the bridge was built in the 1930's, -- we currently do not own this land -- is owned by the government. but we got a permit by the department of board to build this bridge. the tradition of the military goes well beyond that. we are thrilled this memorial day weekend to celebrate another tradition in the passing of this bridge, military service. uniformed men and women shipping out as our madam leader said earlier. during world war ii, more than 5000 ships sailed under the bridge. it is the last of the men and women going to the korean war and in vietnam. add to these historic links, as the golden gate bridge was opened up in 1957, that had a week-long celebration for sailors. sailors have a long history of

celebrating in san francisco, too. reflecting on this history of military service and the passage of military vessels, we are pleased to announce in a half hour the destroyer uss decatur will pass underneath the golden gate bridge. it is arriving in the bay area for a change of command ceremony. we are very fortunate to have the uss decatur joining us. please join me in welcoming the mother of the current commander of the uss to cater -- decatur. [applause] we also have with us today the future commander of this vessel. thank you. [applause] at 11:30, you can go up to the flagpole and look down to see the uss decatur make the pass under the bridge. another extra surprise for all

of us, later this weekend, an aircraft carrier, the uss nimitz, will also sale underneath the bridge. it is my honor to extend our appreciation to those in the military community and those in the san francisco fleet week committee. thank you for organizing this weekend. [applause] thank you very much. >> thank you so much. now i would like to welcome two civic leaders known and loved throughout our city for their civic leadership and for their service. nancy hellman of the presidio trust and the larrybair -- and larry bair of the standards as the giant. we were pleased when they both agree to co-chair as our

celebration. the steering committee has been to critical to success of this anniversary. have spearheaded the yearlong program of events and tributes, the anniversary weekend events, and have raised corporate and philanthropic funds to support this effort. nancye and mary, i invite you to introduce the ceremony of opening our anniversary gift to the bridge. please give a warm welcome to nancye helmand bechtel and mr. larry baer. [applause] >> i have to say, it has been a real thrill for the entire year i worked on this. what could be better than to be involved that great icon back there? it is a work of art, it is an engineering marvel. when dennis was talking about

the armed services, service personnel who came in and out of the bay, when we talk to them about being part of the celebration, they were thrilled to do it. as i said, more than just this beautiful icon we have, it was a symbol to them of liberty, democracy, and as they left, it was the last thing they saw as they sailed out of the golden gate, the first thing that impressed them as they came back in. to our many service people throughout the world, it is an icon, exactly like the statue of liberty in new york city. it has been a pleasure to work with larry, co-chair. i think many people thought that he would be chosen because orange is the color of the san francisco giants, but that is not true.

he was chosen because he is a great civic leader and a fourth generation, like i am. anyways, please welcome mr larry baer. [applause] >> thank you. it has taken me a little while to figure out, but i have realized i was selected because of my neck tie collection for work and my wife pam's scarf collection. i have to say, it has been a great pleasure working with you. your leadership, creativity. i want to call out a few other people already. without him, it would have been impossible for the celebration to happen. greg moore, thank you so much for everything you have done. i also want to give special thanks to stacy slaughter, senior vice president of the giants. she issenior vice president of the giants. she has done so much to make all

this happen as well. the bridge, as has been mentioned, is a symbol of the city to the world. but i want today just a second mentioning that it is also a symbol of the city and to all of us to those who live in and around the city. i grew up just over there in the richmond district and still live in that general area. i have to say that when things are rough, things are down, i personally, and i believe a lot of other people do this, take a walk and look at the bridge. look at and are inspired by the creation and the sacrifice that went into building the bridge and think about what it means to our community. it is a symbol of life. i think that that is true of so many people, whether you live in the city or around the city or come to the city. this again it is something we can pause and think about.

it is something very special. it is also a symbol to the world that our baseball team embraces. last friday night, the giants war in our game against the a's -- the giants wore some of the anniversary patches, and we won the game. [laughter] [applause] in the eighth inning, and this is some of you have seen, as we go to the bottom of the eighth inning, we play one of two songs. both in journey songs. one isli the oneghts." we play that it we are had -- one is "lights, to which we play for your head. the other one if we are behind is "don't stop believing." with those presentations, there are themes of san francisco, but there is always one theme that pops up, and it is a picture of

the bridge. and that theme always gets a roaring applause. i think it is very special that we have so many wonderful icons in the city and so much going on but the bridge stands apart. next time you're at a game, noticed in the bottom of the eighth presentation, before the bottom of the it's, you will see that bridge pop and people go crazy. it is very special. a year-and-a-half ago, two years ago, we took to deciding on a way to commemorate the world series, a ring to commemorate the world series win. the people at the giants and the people at tiffany's got together to figure out what should be on the ring. not a lot of room necessarily, although it is pretty dog gone big. and there was one image that had to be placed on the ring, and you can guess what that images.

very proudly, everybody, every player that played for the giants that year wears the ring probably, as the front office members. the ring with the golden gate bridge as the symbol front and center as a part of that ring. i wanted to once again acknowledge, because they have been so central to what we have been able to accomplish with this anniversary celebration, our sponsors, our tower supporters. wells fargo, celebrating its 160 it anniversary this year. they have just been phenomenal. talk about the perfect connection to the bridge with their history. hewlett-packard, who as a breeze to engineering and innovation, just as the bridge represents innovation. they are another partner. genentech. also an educational partner and an innovator in the health care world.

and kaiser permanente a who saw the power of the bridge in the surrounding park lands to bring exercise to the community and the millions of people who, thanks to the wonderful work that has been done over the years in congress, have allowed our surrounding areas here to be full of people that walk, jog, and by the bridge a nearby park lands. please join me in thanking these towers sponsors. [applause] quickly, at the cable and builders of a ship level, again, really rock rib, san francisco bay area companies that mean so much to our communities that have joined us. levi strauss, chevron, pg&e, odwalla, handsome bridget, and spec products. they're usually responsible with this week in and celebrating a bridge that connects all of us

whether you live here or a far. thank you so much. [applause] >> we're almost there, folks. mary and nancy, thank you again so much. and to all of your steering committee members for your incomparable leadership at the 75th anniversary of our golden gate bridge. before we go unwrapped our gift to the bridge, i want to thank all of you for being here with us today. it has been a real pleasure and an honor for us to have you here. our official program is going to end in a few minutes. before we move across to the street, we're going to move to the renovated roundhouse and pavilion. they have a giant scissors, and we're going to cut the ribbon. but now, before we do that, from the cast of "beach blanket babylon," please welcome tammy nelson, who will get us in the gift openings spirit. come on up, tammy.

[cheers and applause] >> whoa. >> i do expect you all to support me on this, not just by listening, but by singing along. ♪ >> it only takes a tiny corner of this great big world to find a place that you love my home upon the hill i find i love you still i've been away but now i'm back to tell you san francisco open your golden gate you let no stranger wait outside

your door san francisco here is you're wondering one saying no wonder no more the places only make me love you tell me your the heart of all the golden west the golden west san francisco welcome me home again i'm coming home to thgo roamingo more ♪ [cheers and applause]