Chet Edwards For Congress

July 10, 2006
Edwards honored at luncheon

The Battalion
By Katy Hicks | Battalion staff writer

Lee Peddicord, vice chancellor for research and federal relations, welcomed professors, researchers and elected officials to a luncheon Friday honoring U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, Class of 1974, for his dedication in securing funds for research at Texas A&M.

"This is an opportunity for all of us at the A&M system to say thank you to Congressman Edwards for the wonderful things he does for us in Washington D.C.," Peddicord said.

Edwards has secured more than $115 million in federal funding for projects in various fields including but not limited to energy, defense, health care and nutrition and agriculture, said John White, chairman of The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents and keynote speaker at the luncheon.

White said A&M will gain from current research projects. The University's Ocean Drilling Program, for instance, is the largest research program at A&M and is estimated to bring in $500 million over the next two years, he said.

Edwards said he supports research at A&M and that he feels enthusiastic about his abilities to foster the various projects.

"I proudly consider myself a water boy on the Texas A&M research team," Edwards said. "I don't do the research, the faculty are the real players in the game. My job is just to provide a little sustenance from time to time to make sure the real players don't get dehydrated."

Edwards said research is priority and that he finds excitement in learning about the research at A&M.

"Research is going to make our state better and our country better and … if I can continue to play just a small part in opening up the financial resources of the federal government, it would be an honor," he said.

It can be difficult to secure funds for future research due to the increasing national deficit, Edwards said. However, he said he feels confident that the challenges will be overcome through cooperation.

Edwards said he is working on more than $40 million worth of projects that he added on to the house appropriations bill that were not in the A&M administration budget request.

They will continue to push these programs through the Senate until they are passed into law, Edwards said. This money will go to fund homeland security, national defense, energy, health care and agriculture projects, he said.

Ron Lacewell, assistant vice chancellor for the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and Edwards' colleague, said Edwards does what he can to help the University.

"(Edwards) does love A&M and works hard to get us research money and he's very effective at it," Lacewell said. "He got the money, there's no question it came directly from him, people need to understand what he does (for A&M)."

Working to secure funding goes along with what it means to be an Aggie, Edwards said.

"Winston Churchill said 'we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.' That is the spirit of Aggieland, giving back," Edwards said.