On this the 200ᵗʰ anniversary of the birth of Ulysses S. Grant, I wanted to share with you my excitement for such a grand occasion. It is heartwarming to see the entire country come together in the celebration of the life of an American icon. I also wanted to let you the membership of the Ulysses S. Grant Association (USGA) and Presidential Library, know that it was your organization that was instructed to take the lead in this national observance in 2015 by the U.S. Senate. And I should report that, not unlike Grant, we took these orders seriously. Immediately, the board of directors under the leadership of President Frank Williams and Executive Director, John Marszalek, formed a Bicentennial committee, led by Frank Scaturro of our board and president of the Grant Monument Association.