[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 10, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1547]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO DR. RAYMOND CONTESTI

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. BONIOR

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 10, 1996

  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, the March of Dimes is an organization with a 
noble mission: to fight birth defects and childhood diseases. We all 
share the March of Dimes dream which is that every child should have 
the opportunity to live a healthy life.
  For the past 13 years, the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the March of 
Dimes Birth Defects Foundation has honored several Macomb County 
residents who are outstanding members of our community and have helped 
in the campaign for healthier babies. On the evening of Wednesday, 
September 25, 1996, the chapter will be hosting the 13th annual 
``Alexander Macomb Citizen of the Year'' award dinner. The award, 
instituted in 1984, is named after my home county's namesake, Gen. 
Alexander Macomb, a hero of the War of 1812.
  This year, the March of Dimes has chosen Dr. Raymound Contesti as a 
recipient of the award. Dr. Contesti, the youngest of 10 children, 
learned at an early age that service to one's community is the way to a 
good life. Throughout his distinguished career as an educator and 
superintendent of schools, he has been recognized for outstanding 
commitment to his community. In 1995 he was named ``Citizen of the 
Year'' by the Mount Clemens General Hospital Foundation and 
``Distinguished Citizen of the Year'' by the Boy Scouts organization in 
1994 as a champion of youth involvement. They could not have chosen a 
more deserving human being.
  Dr. Jonas Salk's polio vaccine is just one of the more famous 
breakthroughs that would not have been possible without March of Dimes 
research funding. Without people like Dr. Raymond Contesti the job of 
protecting babies would be that much more difficult.
  I applaud the Southeast Michigan Chapter of the March of Dimes and 
Dr. Raymond Contesti for their leadership, advocacy, and community 
service. I am sure that Dr. Contesti is honored by the recognition and 
I urge my colleagues to join me in saluting him as a 1996 recipient of 
the ``Alexander Macomb Citizen of the Year Award.''

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