[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 59 (Thursday, May 8, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E873]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




A TRIBUTE TO FRANK SENDLEWSKI FOR 50 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE RIVERHEAD 
                            FIRE DEPARTMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 8, 1997

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise to day to pay tribute to a smalltown 
hero from Riverhead, Long Island, NY. On May 13, 1997, Mr. Frank 
Sendlewski will be honored by his family and friends for his 50 years 
of dedicated service to the Riverhead Volunteer Fire Department.
  Born on Sweezey Avenue, Frank Sendlewski joined the Riverhead 
Volunteer Fire Department in 1947, shortly after fulfilling his service 
to the U.S. Navy during World War II. Frank's selfless commitment to 
protecting the lives and property of his Riverhead neighbors enabled 
him to rise to the rank of captain of the Riverhead Fire Department by 
1957, a position he served in for 2 years.
  The son of one of the founders of the Riverhead Volunteer Fire 
Department, Frank has devoted himself to the community where he and 
Florence Sendlewski, his wife of 48 years, have raised their four 
children, Mary Ann, Madelyn, Michael, Martin. Frank and Florence are 
now the proud grandparents of six: Christy, Ashley, Andy, Jennifer, 
Jeffrey, and Jason.
  The Sendlewski's raised their wonderful family in the proud, historic 
area of Riverhead known as Polish Town, where they still live on 
Lincoln Avenue. A cobbler by trade, Frank owned a shop on Railroad 
Avenue for more than 5 years, until the shop was destroyed by fire. 
Through he eventually rebuilt the shop, Frank ultimately went to work 
as a sheet metal mechanic at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 
facility on Plum Island.
  Mr. Speaker, Frank Sendlewski is one of Riverhead's most cherished 
citizens because he gives so much of himself to the community. Frank is 
also an active member of the American Legion Post and St. Isadore's 
Roman Catholic Church. Every Christmas, Frank puts on his red suit and 
white beard to play Santa Claus to hundreds of Riverhead children.
  Here on eastern Long Island, we cherish the close-knit smalltown feel 
of our communities, where people wave hello when they see you on the 
street and neighbors help each other out in times of need, without 
having to be asked. Mr. Speaker, it is no accident that Riverhead is 
that type of community. It is because of the commitment and hard work 
of family's like the Sendlewskis.
  That is why I ask my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives 
to join me in saluting Frank Sendlewski on the occasion of his 50th 
anniversary of service to the Riverhead Volunteer Fire Department. 
Because of that lifetime of devotion to his community, a man like Frank 
Sendlewski is as valuable to America as he is to Riverhead.

                          ____________________