[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 116 (Tuesday, July 18, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1449]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



               E X T E N S I O N S   O F   R E M A R K S


[[Page E 1449]]


    CONDOLENCES TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS OF FOUR ALCOHOL RELATED DEATHS

                                 ______


                        HON. WILLIAM J. MARTINI

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, July 17, 1995
  Mr. MARTINI. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this time to send my 
condolences to the family and friends of four women who died tragically 
in an alcohol-related accident on July 3, 1995. All four of them 
resided in my congressional district.
  Evelyn Dotson, Henrietta Lathon, Jeanne Ruth Sanford, and Gwendolyn 
King had been paying a visit to an elderly woman who was housebound 
with a bad heart. Before heading home, they decided to spend the 
evening in Atlantic City. On their way back to the eighth district 
their van was struck head on by a sports car driving in the wrong 
direction on the Garden State Parkway. The four women died in the 
accident. A 24-year-old man was charged with drunk driving in the 
incident. Miraculously, the driver of the van, Matthew Buie, and his 
wife, Jonnie Ruth, were saved when they were pulled from the burning 
van by a passing motorist.
  Mr. Speaker, these four women were extremely active members in the 
Paterson, NJ community. They donated their time and effort to help 
others in a selfless manner. They prayed for the sick, fed the hungry, 
and comforted the lonely. They exhibited the qualities we should all 
strive to emulate.
  Furthermore, each of the women spent a great deal of time at the St. 
Augustine Presbyterian Church. This congregation will not easily 
replace the void that was created by the passing of Evelyn, Henrietta, 
Jeanne, and Gwendolyn. I am sure, Mr. Speaker, that you share the 
sadness that Mr. Donald Curtis, the president of the church's board of 
trustees, feels in the passing of these magnanimous individuals.
  It is sad that it takes tragic times such as these to bring people 
together and to realize the importance of charitable qualities. 
Fortunately, the passion for life and the commitment to the church that 
these women shared will live on in the memories of their family and 
friends.


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