[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 41 (Wednesday, April 9, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E613-E614]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   IN RECOGNITION OF JANET CONKLIN KIREKER AND FANNIE CALDWELL ALLEN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARGE ROUKEMA

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 9, 1997

  Mrs. ROUKEMA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Janet Conklin 
Kireker and her grandmother, the late Fannie Caldwell Allen, on their 
recent recognition by the Social Service Association of Ridgewood and 
Vicinity Inc. I would like to add my own recognition of the work they 
have done.
  Fannie Caldwell Allen, Janet Conklin Kireker, and the Social Service 
Association of Ridgewood and Vicinity are the embodiment and 
personification of what has made America the greatest democracy on 
Earth and a beacon to the world.
  Now I know that is easy to say. The rhetoric rolls too easily off the 
tongues of politicians. But this is genuine testimony to all who have 
been associated with the Social Service Association both today and 
through its 100-year history. These are the Americans--faithful to the 
principles of our Founding Fathers--who have been there when their 
neighbors turned to them for help.
  Whether due to illness, disability, advanced age or economic hardship 
not of their making, these friends and neighbors in need have relied 
upon the Social Service Association. The Social Service Association has 
been there with the material and emotional support delivered personally 
and confidentially. This help has been volunteered and donated by the 
helping people of the community.
  In honoring Fannie Caldwell Allen, we recognize that she set a very 
high standard as the association's longest-serving president. Born in 
New York City in 1871, she moved to Ridgewood as a young mother in 1903 
and, with her husband, William, raised four children in their Woodside 
Avenue home. She joined the association in 1916, was named to the 
aboard in 1917, became recording secretary in 1918 and became president 
in 1919. She held that position until October 1937. During the 
aftermath of World War I, the Prohibition era and the Great Depression, 
she led the women of the association as they helped their neighbors 
deal with both the special problems of the times and the ordinary 
problems of everyday life.
  During Mrs. Allen's tenure, the association's caseload, range of 
services, budget and community profile all grew tremendously. Among the 
highlights were the establishment of a program of local schools helping 
at Thanksgiving in 1924, establishment of the association's long-
standing relationship with the Community Chest in 1926 and the opening 
of the Thrift Shop in 1930.
  Upon her retirement as president in 1937, Mrs. Allen was named 
honorary president in recognition and appreciation of her many years of 
devoted leadership. She died in 1961.
  Following in that heritage of dedicated altruism, Mrs. Allen's 
granddaughter, Janet Conklin Kireker, has been a true friend to the 
Social Service Association. For many years, she and her husband, Frank, 
have generously supported the association and its goals. In addition to 
the association, she has been a long-standing member of the Woman's 
Club of

[[Page E614]]

Ridgewood, where she serves as a member of the Board of Trustees; the 
College Club; the American Red Cross; and Valley Hospital, where she 
has volunteered with distinction for 25 years and is a patient 
representative. She and Frank raised three children in Ridgewood.
  It has been with the support and generosity of caring citizens like 
Janet that the association has thrived and admirably served those in 
need. It is thanks to the longstanding commitment of volunteers like 
Fannie and Janet and all the other women who have worked with the 
Social Service Association that the association has established the 
outstanding, noble reputation it enjoys throughout the State of New 
Jersey.
  Many people speak of helping others but few back up their words with 
deeds. The members of the Social Service Association are among those 
few. When a family has needed a meal, they were there. When a child 
needed clothing, they were there. When a handicapped person needed a 
wheelchair, they were there. There are many stories I could tell, many 
superlatives I could apply and many platitudes I could offer. In plain 
language, when someone needs help, the Social Security Association is 
there.
  The women of the association are selfless, dedicated individuals who 
have tremendous compassion for their fellow human beings. They are 
examples for us all.
  I also have a few words of personal testimony of what Janet has meant 
to me. She was always there whenever I needed her. In my early days of 
running for office, when nobody thought that housewife from Ridgewood 
could ever be elected, she was there. This housewife from Ridgewood 
would never have become a Congresswoman serving our Nation had it not 
been for her loyalty and generous support.
  And America--now, as we face the millennium--is looking back to 
restore those values and qualities that built our great Nation. As we 
face a new world of technological change, a global economy, and the 
challenges of cultural change we must retain our commitment to the 
enduring values of our 200 years of history.
  The tradition of neighbor helping neighbor--holding out a helping 
hand, generosity in donating financial resources, willingness to help 
those who cannot help themselves--is kept alive because of people like 
the women of the Social Service Association of Ridgewood.
  Those are the sterling qualities we celebrate today. Those are what 
Janet and her grandmother have given to our community. For that we 
praise her.
  She is a role model for the future.
  Janet said at this month's award ceremony that she was certain her 
grandmother was smiling down from above. Today, as I write this, I am 
certain that Fannie Allen and many others of her generation are looking 
with favor upon Janet Conklin Kireker and the many others who have 
carried on in their tradition.

                          ____________________