Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 104 Part 6.djvu/917

 PROCLAMATION 6148—JUNE 15, 1990 104 STAT. 5307 Nation. Today we thank dads everywhere for all they do, throughout the year, for ovu* families and country. NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE BUSH, President of the United States of America, in accordance with a joint resolution of the Congress approved April 24, 1972 (36 U.S.C. 142a), do hereby proclaim Sunday, June 17, 1990, as Father's Day. I invite the States and communities and people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies as a mark of appreciation and abiding affection for their fathers. I direct government of]Kcials to display the flag of the United States on all Federal Government buildings, and I urge all Americans to display the flag at their homes and other suitable places on that day. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety, and of the independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fourteenth. GEORGE BUSH Proclamation 6148 of June 15, 1990 National Scleroderma Awareness Week, 1990 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Scleroderma is a painful and often progressive connective tissue disease that can result in serious debilitation and even death. This disease, whose name literally means "hard skin," is marked by the excess production of collagen, the main fibrous component of connective tissue. This overproduction of collagen causes the skin to harden and thicken and may adversely affect internal organs such as the heart, lungs, and kidneys as well. Victims who suffer from thickening of the esophagus may have difficulty swallowing solid food. The course of the disease varies among individuals, and it may strike at any age. However, scleroderma usually affects people during their working years. Today thousands of Americans, most of them women, have scleroderma. Its impact in terms of physical and emotional suffering and financial loss is enormous. Although the cause of scleroderma has not been identified, physicians and scientists have gained a greater understanding of the disease. Today there is reason to hope that improved methods of diagnosis and treatment will one day eliminate scleroderma as a cause of distress among individuals and their families. Determined to advance the fight against scleroderma, many governmental, scientific, and voluntary health organizations are working together to promote education and research in this field. To increase public awareness of scleroderma and to recognize the importance of ongoing research into this disease, the Congress, by House Joint Resolution 516, has designated the week beginning June 10, 1990, as "National Scleroderma Awareness Week" and has authorized and

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