Office of the Secretary

For Immediate Release: March 3, 1999

Contact: John Wright 202/208-6416

MEDIA ADVISORY

President Clinton will Join Employees of the Interior Department
in Celebration of its 150^th Birthday, March 4

The U.S. Department of the Interior will turn 150 years old March 3, 1999. On Thursday, March 4, President Bill Clinton will join Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt in a special ceremony to commemorate the anniversary. The ceremony will launch a year of activities in celebration of the Department's sesquicentennial.

Secretary Babbitt will join the Department in honoring Interior employees for their acts of heroism and extraordinary courage above and beyond the call of duty. A number of employees and private citizens will be recognized for service with distinction and for making significant contributions toward the Department's missions and goals.

The visit by President Clinton will be the first Presidential visit to the Interior Department headquarters since 1977, when then President Jimmy Carter met with employees. The ceremony will be held in the Interior Department's Sidney R.Yates Auditorium, Thursday, March 4, 1999, beginning at 1 p.m.

Who: President Clinton, Secretary Babbitt and Interior Department employees

What: 150^th Anniversary Celebration of the Interior Department

When 1 p.m. Thursday, March 4, 1999

Where: U.S. Department of the Interior, Sidney Yates Auditorium

1849 C Street, NW, Washington, D.C.

Note to Editors: The ceremony is open to media with official press credentials.

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