WHEREAS, In the early morning hours of Saturday, February 1, 2003, the nation suffered the devastating loss of the Columbia Space Shuttle and its seven astronauts; and
     WHEREAS, The Shuttle Mission STS-107 crew consisted of Commander Rick D. Husband, Pilot William C. McCool, Payload Commander Michael P. Anderson, Mission Specialists Kalpana Chawla, David M. Brown, and Laurel B. Clark, and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon; and
     WHEREAS, Members of this daring and courageous crew included Michael P. Anderson, a graduate of Cheney High School in Cheney, and William McCool, a United States Navy aviator formerly stationed at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station; and
     WHEREAS, Michael P. Anderson went on to earn degrees from the University of Washington in 1981 and Creighton University in 1990 as well as becoming a member of the United States Air Force earning the rank of Lieutenant Colonel; and
     WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Anderson accepted invitations to return to Spokane to motivate and inspire Washington's young and old alike earning a "Spokane Citizen of the Year" Award in 1998; and
     WHEREAS, Commander McCool while residing in Anacortes came to love Washington's natural beauty becoming a charter member of "Friends of Olympic National Park"; and
     WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Anderson's and Commander McCool's personal achievements, exploits in space, their lives, and sacrifices will reverberate for generations; and
     WHEREAS, Lieutenant Colonel Anderson, Commander McCool, and the rest of the Shuttle Mission STS-107 crew were inscribed upon the hearts of their families, they are now etched forever upon the heart and memory of the residents of the state of Washington and a grateful nation; and
     WHEREAS, The heartbreak and sorrow suffered by the overwhelming personal loss to Lieutenant Colonel Anderson's wife, Sandra, their daughters, and his parents, Bobbie and Barbara Anderson, as well as that of Commander McCool's wife and children is shared by all the residents of the state of Washington;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate express its utmost sorrow for the loss of our beloved astronauts on February 1, 2003, over the skies of Texas, and extend our heartfelt prayers to the families and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for healing, comfort, and recovery; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Mrs. Sandra Hawkins Anderson, Mrs. William McCool, Mr. and Mrs. Bobbie Anderson, and NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe.