[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 105 (Wednesday, July 17, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1312]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO RETIRED TEACHER AND CHURCH VOLUNTEER ROBERT H. STEVENS, SR.

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                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 17, 1996

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to 
Robert H. Stevens, Sr., a man whose selfless devotion to his family, 
faith, and the entire community has touched the lives of so many people 
from my hometown of Westhampton Beach, Long Island.
  As a teacher, a volunteer, and a humble man of faith, Robert Stevens 
has set a standard that will be felt for generations to come, as each 
of his nine children, and their children in turn, live that example 
every day. While some men change the course of history in full view of 
the world, men like Robert Stevens affect our Nation's destiny with 
simple acts of charity, repeated every day over the course of a 
lifetime.
  I know Robert Stevens because we share common roots: both of us were 
born and raised in Westhampton Beach, and left to attend college in 
Albany, NY, where Bob attended the State teachers college. Like so many 
men of his generation, his plans for the future were interrupted during 
World War II, when he was stationed half a world away in the China/
India/Burma theater. For 4 years, Bob served as a gunnery and armament 
staff officer with the Air Service Maintenance Division, until the war 
ended.
  From within that horrific war emerged many small miracles, and one of 
them touched Robert Stevens. While stationed in India, he met his 
beautiful wife, the former Margaret Lettington. The daughter of a 
British Army major with the Royal Engineers, Margaret was born and 
raised in India and didn't leave that country until she married Bob. 
They were married on June 6, 1945, and left together later that year to 
start a new life in Westhampton Beach.
  Together, Margaret and Robert raised nine exceptional children, now 
ranging in ages between 49 and 33, most of whom still make their home 
on Long Island. Their children are Joan Urban, Robert H. Stevens Jr., 
Patricia Damrow, Anne Kowalski, Paul Stevens, Katherine O'Cain, 
Margaret Rattoballi, Joseph Stevens, and Mary Stevens. Supporting such 
a large family could not have been easy on a teacher's salary, but 
Robert and Margaret didn't do it with money, they reared their children 
with an abundance of love and firm guidance. The Stevens children are 
living proof that their parents possessed a wealth of those parental 
gifts.
  The number of young lives that Bob has shaped extends far beyond his 
own children. During a 34-year tenure as a French and social studies 
teacher in the Riverhead School District, Bob was a gifted educator who 
continually gave of himself to his students, serving as an advisor to 
the French Club and organizing countless field trips to the theaters 
and museums in New York City. He also served as a Cub Scout and Boy 
Scout Master in Westhampton Beach for 10 years.
  Fortified by faith, Robert has a seemingly endless supply of energy 
when it comes to finding time for his church. For 20 years, Robert has 
been a trustee at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Quiogue, 
where the Stevens family have been an integral part of the musical 
worship during the Sunday morning service. Bob sang with the choir for 
29 years and led the congregation in song as the head cantor, while 
Margaret accompanied him as organist. He is also a charter member of 
the Knights of Columbus Father Joseph Slomski Council No. 7423 in 
Westhampton Beach.
  Bob has also been the chairman of the Bishops' Annual Appeal, the 
diocese's annual fundraising effort among its parishes. After retiring 
from teaching Robert worked as the church sexton, maintaining the 
facilities at the church, its rectory, and the School of Religious 
Education.
  On June 6, 1995, Margaret and Robert celebrated their 50th wedding 
anniversary. Six months later, Robert lost the love of his life when 
Margaret left this world after a valiant battle against cancer. All who 
were blessed to know Margaret were saddened by her passing, and none 
more than Bob. With an unwavering faith, a divine trust that blessed 
him with 50 joyous years with a truly wonderful woman, Bob takes solace 
in the fact that Margaret rests near God's side.
  Though it is a principle that has lost popularity in today's society, 
Robert H. Stevens, Sr., has always trusted in God's plan for his life, 
allowing him to accept the Lord's blessing that he in turn passed on to 
the world. Bob's enduring legacy is that he proves to all of us that an 
extraordinary life is composed of an endless succession of ordinary 
acts of charity and faith. Faith can move mountains, and Robert Stevens 
has showed that every single one of us can change the course of our 
Nation's destiny from within small villages like Westhampton Beach. May 
God bless him.

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