Mr. Baseball, Richard A. Sauget, Turns 60

MR. BASEBALL, RICHARD A. SAUGET, TURNS 60

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Richard A. Sauget, an outstanding citizen, community leader, business entrepreneur, husband, father, and grandfather. His distinguished contributions and accomplishments have improved the economic prosperity, social welfare, and individual lives of so many people in Southwestern Illinois and the St. Louis region.

Richard A. Sauget was born on April 21, 1944. He was raised by his parents, Vincent and Estelle Sauget, in the Village of Sauget, which was founded by Rich's grandfather, Leo. Rich continues to reside in Sauget with his wife, Judee. The Sauget family was one of the first to settle in the area. Rich and Judee have five children, three grandchildren, and one grandchild on the way. His Catholic faith and family have always been his priorities.

After graduating with a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and a M.A. from St. Mary's University, Rich began a successful professional baseball career. He played baseball with the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants. During his career, he served as a backup for Joe Torre and a catcher for the great Satchel Paige.

Rich Sauget continues to be involved in baseball. Starting with the Sauget Wizards, a semi-professional team in the Mon-Clair Baseball League, Rich brought professional-level baseball to Southwestern Illinois. Today, his passion is the Gateway Grizzlies Baseball Team, a team he founded. Rich, a managing partner of the Grizzlies, was the driving force in designing and building the new Grizzlies GMC stadium in 2002. By the way, the Gateway Grizzlies won the Frontier League Championship in 2003.

Rich serves on several prominent sports association boards, including the St. Louis Sports Commission, Southwestern Illinois Officials Organization, the St. Louis Professional Baseball Scouts Association, and is the current president of the Frontier Professional Baseball League.

In addition to his sports accomplishments, Rich has been a highly-successful business entrepreneur. He is the founder and president of East County Enterprises, Inc., a real estate management company that has been in business for more than 35 years. East County Enterprises manages various properties in several Southwestern Illinois communities. The company has provided job opportunities and generated business growth in the region.

Rich Sauget is a dedicated community leader with a strong commitment to service. He has volunteered a great deal of time to the economic development of the St. Louis Metropolitan area by serving on many prominent boards, including the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association, the Leadership Council of Southwestern Illinois, the St. Louis Regional Business Council, the St. Louis Lambert Airport Commission, and the Missouri Historical Society Board. He is the Chairman of the St. Clair County Building Commission which oversees the development of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport.

For years, Rich has emphasized the importance of bringing together and developing the entire St. Louis region as one united community, including a highly-integrated airport transportation system. His vision includes the eventual formation of a Regional Airport Authority to provide the St. Louis region with more efficient passenger, cargo, and maintenance services.

As chairman of the board of Touchette Regional Hospital and a member of the board of Kenneth Hall Hospital, Rich has been instrumental in the development and expansion of healthcare services to low income families, specifically underprivileged women and children, in the Southwestern Illinois region.

To further serve the Southwestern Illinois/St. Louis region, Rich has been working to develop a strong business leadership group, Archview Communities Economic Development Corporation. Archview is designed to enhance economic, social, and business development opportunities by facilitating partnerships between government programs, local municipalities, the area's healthcare network, the local education system, and many regional business owners.

It should also be noted that both Rich and Judee Sauget are involved in many charitable organizations in Illinois and Missouri.

Richard A. Sauget leads by example and sets a very high standard for all of us to follow. I congratulate him for his impressive accomplishments and heartfelt service to his community and look forward to many more years of working with him.