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
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 o
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.
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. the
o, beautiful for patriot streams that sees beyond the years thine alabaster city sleeve undimmed by human america america god grant his grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea [applause] martin, my goodness, that was absolutely beautiful. and now, on behalf of the golden gate bridge and all that it stands for, please join me in welcoming democratic leader nancy pelosi. thank you so much, nancy. [applause] this has come as a great surprise to me, so i am a little bit embarrassed, but i think i am getting over it. i love that song, especially the second verse that martin sang. o beautiful for patriot streams that sees beyond the years. that is exactly what the people who envisioned this bridge did. they saw beyond the years, in many ways. certainly as a physical infrastructure, but all that it stands for. the nine alabaster cities gleam undimmed by human tears. that is san francisco. that reminds me of san francisco every time i hear it s