 Thank you all. Thank you for gathering here. Just what a beautiful morning. We've had August weather lately. Rain one day, rain one hour, and not the next, et cetera. But of course, this is a special celebration for the most important people in the state. And so the weather's cooperated. And we have a beautiful morning to celebrate together. I'm just so pleased for all my colleagues from UVM, our trustees, I saw Frank Coffey here, and Carolyn Dwyer and others. And Carol is here too. I was looking for her. Carol Odey's here, and we have so many others. I won't name them, but they're my bosses, so I will name them. We have a lot of people here from around Vermont. And of course, we've got, especially, the great big Leahy family that came out of the woodwork, came from Washington, D.C. and elsewhere, came from far and near to be here for this special day. And I note that it's a special day, it's an even more special day because we're not celebrating Patrick again. We're celebrating somebody else, the more important one. So it's just wonderful that this day's here. As many of you know, I know some of you were here for the previous event where we had a picture that we christened this boat with and announced that we would name our new research vessel, the Marcel Melisera. But it's just so wonderful to have the actual deal here. It had its challenges getting here, but everything's worked out this time. And just to all of you that came to help us celebrate, thank you, welcome. And I'm just really looking forward to a wonderful morning today. There are certainly no greater friends of Lake Champlain than Patrick and Marcel Lehi, nor are there any greater friends of UVM, as we all know. I've now gotten to know the Lehi's even better, especially since Patrick joined us as the President's Distinguished Fellow and is like, I don't know, 30 feet from my office or something. And it's just wonderful to have him so close by. I've gotten to know even better how Patrick and Marcel are really a team. I've known that all along, but I see them always together. Marcel was the one that hung up all the pictures and set up all the little challenge coins and everything else. And they just really are an inseparable team that's been so enriching for their lives, but also so enriching for the state of Vermont. So I think we all know that no one who knows the Lehi's think of them as Senator Lehi. They always think of them as Senator and Marcel Lehi. So Marcel has been an important part of our UVM community for decades. She is an admirable healthcare professional and Senator Lehi keeps reminding her of that by having various issues that he wants her to deal with. She's been a remarkable advocate for healthcare, for both the education and the practice side of things. And of course, she served on the board of the advisory board of our College of Nursing and Health Science for many years. And she's an avowed advocate for the arts. All these things are very, very important to us at UVM. And so it's a great combination and she's a natural ally for us. Of course, she holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Vermont and she has a special place in our hearts. So I'm so pleased that you've all joined us here to celebrate the Lehi's contribution to Lake Champlain and its health and to the research that advances our understanding of water both here and well beyond the shores of this Great Lake. And I capitalize G and L in the Great Lake. You know what that means, right? So now that we have this magnificent vessel in our dock, it's easy for us to see the reality of that impact. Our lake researchers and quite a few are here with us. They will have state-of-the-art equipment and unparalleled capacity for understanding the complexities of this particular lake and for contributing to the research of the other Great Lakes and other bodies of water around the globe. Our students will have access to one of the finest floating classrooms in the world. The opportunities for them to learn, to prepare for careers with deep impact on the health of the lake ecosystem and to be an active part of the research improving that ecosystem are also without match and it's wonderful that our students have this opportunity. We're really all beaming with pride and anticipation at what can be learned with this vessel and all the opportunities that will provide our faculty, our staff, our postdocs, our graduate students, our undergraduate researchers. This special vessel and the research and teaching in the Rubenstein lab that you all walked by across the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources and across all of UVM was immeasurably improved by the great generosity of Cree and Phil Lintelak here with us today. And also Peter Rose, the benefactor of the original Melisera and his sister, Judy Margulis who continues his legacy. I, my special thanks are to Senator Welch for joining us today and to Bob Lamb, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission and his team who are crucial to identifying the funding that made this vessel possible. So Senator Welch will share his thoughts next followed by Bob and then we'll have our, the main part of a celebration after that. Thank you, Senator Welch. Thank you very much. What a day and what a moment. Marcel Leahy having a boat named after you. Oh my goodness and well deserved. It is just a thrill to be here. You know, President Garimella was talking about the research that can be done. What I find so exciting about this, it's just a commitment to the future and continuing the work that Patrick began decades ago to restore, revive the health of our lake, the commitment we have in Vermont to our environment. The work goes on. And that's what this research vessel is going to do to provide the opportunity to do research that we can act on, opportunity to give kids a classroom, to give researchers a place from which to do the important work that has to be done. And it is so important, not just for Lake Champlain, it's important for us as a nation now to renew our commitment to doing the work that needs to be done. And that is working together to face the challenges of our time. So Marcel, thank you. Your legacy, Patrick's legacy is going to continue with the naming of the ship and the use of it. So thank you all very much. And by the way, I want to thank all these Leahy staffers. Boy, did you make it smooth and easy for me to move into the Senate after Patrick walked me down the aisle and I took the oath of office. So thank you so very much. And you know, in the spirit of the work continues, I am going to tell you that in the next budget we have in there 25 million for the EPA Lake Champlain program, 10 and a half million to support the Great Lakes Fishery Commission's work, additional funding for the Sea Lampery control program that's had such a positive impact in the Lake Champlain Sea Grant. Now, in the spirit of politicians everywhere, I would normally take credit for this and you would congratulate me for the extraordinary work and commitment I've shown, all right? But I've been busted. I know what you know. The person who's responsible for that is sitting right here in his name is Patrick J. Leahy. Thank you, Patrick. So let, and I'm thrilled to be here, Patrick and Marcel, with you, with your extraordinary staff having so many of our staff here to join together to renew our commitment with the University of Vermont, with Vermonters, to carry on the legacy of Patrick and Marcel and their commitment to this wonderful, wonderful Lake Champlain. Thank you very much. Oh, that's a hard act to follow. Good morning, everyone. As the president said, I'm Bob Lamb. I'm from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and you may be wondering what the Great Lakes Fishery Commission is doing in Vermont. Hopefully we'll make that clear. We were here in October to do this, but I'd have to say that it's a lot more fun to do it with a real vessel in the background rather than an imaginary one. As beautiful as that picture was back in October. So, Senator Mrs. Leahy, Senator Walsh, President Garamelli and distinguished guests, thank you for having the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and on the program for this wonderful celebration this morning. Great Lakes Fishery Commission has been a proud partner in Lake Champlain science, sea lamp control and ecosystem research and restoration for more than three decades now. So the relationship is long and deep. And we're thrilled to have supported the construction of this marvelous research vessel now called the other Marcel. But the partnership would not have been possible. We're not for the incredible vision of this man that we're celebrating this morning, but not only his vision, his hard work in building programs and the hard work in the hard part, which was funding it not just for a year, but for decades. And I know I speak on behalf of everybody when I thank the Senator for his sustained and unconditional love for the lake. And also when I thank the many people, the scores of individuals who have devoted their careers to Lake Champlain. Scientists at the University of Vermont have, and at the Rubenstein School of Environment are at the forefront of lake research, but also on international teaching, education. And we know that this research vessel will help keep UVM at that leadership position for decades to come. Because that work that takes place here is so important to our mission on the Great Lakes, the reciprocity is very hard to describe. But because it is so important, we remain committed to supporting the Lake Champlain research and UVM for as long as we possibly can, which I hope is for more decades to come. In fact, we're very optimistic about the future. We not only acknowledge the strong federal programs that Senator Leah has built with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, US Fish and Wildlife Service, EPA, NOAA, Sea Grant, and the list goes on. We also, we thank him very much for that, but we also thank the current congressional delegation for the hard work and the success, as we're seeing as 2024 emerges in continuing that work and building, continuing to build on that program into 2024 and beyond. So thank you very, very much, Senator Welch. I know you've been modest about your contribution here this morning, but we all know that that's a modest position, given what you've done in your short time in that role. So I'll end with saying congratulations, President Garamelli and everyone at UVM on this momentous occasion of getting the research special so appropriately named the Marcell. So thank you again, Senator Leahy. Thank you, Marcell, for sharing your wonderful husband with us for, I guess it's 48 years. And hopefully the christening will be a smashing success. Thank you, Senator Welch. Thank you, Bob. And now, I was told that Marcell doesn't like to speak much, but she spoke at the event last time and we're gonna invite her and Patrick to come up and say a few words as well, please. Please come on up. And I know they'll come up together and speak together. He says I get to go first. Oops. What did I do nowadays? Yeah, didn't mean to break it. I won't break anything on the boat. Welcome, everybody. Oh my goodness. Thank you, President Garamelli. I wouldn't be here without you. And everyone else who's gathered here today, it's really wonderful to have you all here. When my brothers and I were kids, we would wait for the stormiest day of summer and then we'd get on the ferry as pedestrians and we'd stand as close to the front as they would let us and experience the waves and the spray of the water. Growing up, like Champlain, was such an important part of our lives with boating, swimming, water skiing and fishing. Yes, I'd like to fish. It was an integral part of our family, life and our social life and our entire community. Patrick and I met for the very first time at my parents' camp on Colchester Point, the shores of Lake Champlain. When we were both still in school, he and college and me and nurses training. As students, money was frequently short. So what did we do for a cheap day? We'd take the ferry across for the sunset cruise and maybe in a sneak a kiss on the way back. The lake has always been a big part of our lives and we want nothing more than for it to always continue to mean as much to subsequent generations. The University of Vermont, the Rubinstein Ecosystem Science Center and ECHO, the Lehi Science Center are all doing as much as they can. So many others can to preserve, they're all doing as much as they can to preserve the lake so that so many others can enjoy it. And today we celebrate the inaugural of the new research ship for the Rubinstein Science Center and all of the future research, the good, the continued preservation of the lake that will come from their work. Thank you for this most humbling experience to have the honor of christening the Marcel Melissar today. She will be in my heart always as she sails the lake, the lake of our beautiful Lake Champlain on the great Lake Champlain. I wish her and all those who will sail with her fair winds and following seas. Thank you. She's the boss. I don't know if I'm spilling the beans early, but I was told that the bottle is made of sugar glass. It will be wrapped in a netting and the champagne is something that the fish would like to drink. Not us. We've seen some christenings where I did that well. This will go okay. I saw that was wonderful and surrassion. I don't have a speech other than to say I haven't been this proud since we got back home and we were happy to get back home in January, but now I really feel at home. UVM has done so much on this tradition. We've talked about this so much in the ladies center of the Rubin scene, those who do it. I can't tell you how proud I am of Peter Welch, Senator Welch. I have to remember to be polite. I got a call from the chair of the Appropriations Committee the other day by a successor there. She told me how proud she is of Peter and mentioned that he had made the request for the money to continue this need here. And I want to thank you for that because I was proud to work on that for years, but with you continuing it, Peter, we know that it will continue to be a great lake. I look at people like Chuck Heifer who helped write that legislation, Tom Berry and others from my office and especially the secretary of the Senate who is actually our boss is here. And would you wave and and Berry. She is the one person in the U.S. Senate where senators step back and she goes first. So Madam Secretary, thank you for being here. Kim McDonald's been up here so often with me and others. I want to stop naming names and I'll leave people out. But I thank you. I thank all those who came all the way here from Great Lakes Commission and all you've done. And Peter, I can't tell you how much it means to me personally having you here and carrying it on. So I thank you. This is a wonderful day.