2013 -- H 5923

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2013

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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N

CONGRATULATING DR. JIM F. BELL, III, ON HIS INDUCTION INTO THE COVENTRY

HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAME

     Introduced By: Representatives Tomasso, Nunes, Guthrie, Chippendale, and Morgan

     Date Introduced: March 26, 2013

     Referred To: House read and passed

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     WHEREAS, Over the course of his illustrious career, Dr. Jim Bell, a widely-respected

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professor in the field of astronomy and space exploration, has not only distinguished himself

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through his academic pursuits in his field of study, but has also provided the students at Coventry

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High School with a role model to be emulated; and

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     WHEREAS, Upon graduation from Coventry High School in 1983, Dr. Bell earned his

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Bachelor’s degree from the California Institute of Technology and his Master’s degree and Ph.D.

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from the University of Hawaii; and

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     WHEREAS, After completing his degrees, Dr. Bell joined the faculty at Cornell

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University as a Research Assistant, which provided him with the opportunity to work with the

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renowned astronomer Carl Sagan.  Progressing with the university, he was made an Assistant

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Professor, an Associate Professor, and a Professor of Astronomy, and has gone on to serve as a

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Professor at Arizona State University; and

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     WHEREAS, Dr. Bell’s career has included a panoply of noteworthy and enviable

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accomplishments.  He has worked on NASA projects, including the NEAR Project, during which

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a spacecraft landed on an asteroid.  He was also the leader of the Pancam color camera team for

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the Mars Rover Spirit and Opportunity; and

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     WHEREAS, Dr. Bell has earned numerous honors and distinctions, including 11 NASA

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Group Achievement Awards, selection as a National Academy of Sciences Kavli Fellow, the Carl

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Sagan Medal for Excellence in Public Communications, AAS/DPS, and the pièce de résistance,

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having an asteroid, the 8146 Jim Bell, named after him; and

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     WHEREAS, Dr. Bell’s well-deserved successes haven’t simply been a result of good

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fortune, but are due instead to his in-depth knowledge, immense talents, and his determination. 

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Being an Inductee into the Coventry High School Alumni Association Hall of Fame is a

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momentous tribute to an exceptional man who has not only brought pride to those educational

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institutions that helped enable him to reach his goals, but has also provided future generations of

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Coventry High School graduates with a guiding star; now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

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Providence Plantations hereby congratulates and honors Dr. Jim F. Bell, III, on his induction into

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the Coventry High School Alumni Association Hall of Fame. We wish him good health, much

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happiness, and continued success in all his future endeavors; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Dr. Jim F. Bell, III.

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