[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 20, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E396]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO JOHN E. BIERMAN

                                 ______


                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 20, 1996

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise today 
and pay tribute to a celebrated community servant, Mr. John E. Bierman. 
On Friday, March 22, 1996, John, along with his friends and family, 
will celebrate his retirement from the Knights of Columbus Ballroom in 
East Chicago, IN.
  We are fortunate to have dedicated people, like John, involved in the 
labor movement in Indiana's First Congressional District. Indeed, John 
personifies true selfless dedication. John was raised in Albany, GA, as 
one of seven boys. In 1950, after serving in the U.S. Army during World 
War II, John migrated to the Calumet Region. At this time, John was 
hired at Inland Steel and became a member of the United Steelworkers of 
America Local Union 1010. In 1969, John assumed the position of staff 
representative, and it is this position from which he is retiring.
  Outside of his professional career, John has devoted a large portion 
of his life to the betterment of northwest Indiana. John is a member of 
American Legion Post 66 and has acquired a lifetime membership to the 
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Moreover, 
he has organized the Sub-2 food pantry, and for 7 years John coached 
and managed the Griffith Babe Ruth Baseball League.
  Politically, John has been a Democratic precinct committeeman for 25 
years and has been the chairman of the Democratic Precinct Organization 
for the Griffith-Calumet Township for 35 years.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my other distinguished colleagues to 
remember all who have worked hard to fulfill the American dream. I 
offer my heartfelt congratulations to John, who has worked arduously to 
make this dream possible for others. John has proven himself to be a 
distinguished advocate for the labor movement, and he has made 
northwest Indiana a better place in which to live and work. I sincerely 
wish John a long, happy, and productive retirement.

                          ____________________