[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 64 (Thursday, May 15, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E938]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO JUSTINE O'DONNELL

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JOSEPH P. KENNEDY II

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 15, 1997

  Mr. KENNEDY of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, It is with the greatest of 
pleasure that I acknowledge the retirement of an outstanding woman who 
has given over 30 years of her life to public service. Justine 
O'Donnell began her distinguished career in Washington, in 1960, where 
she worked for my uncle, President John F. Kennedy, until his untimely 
death in 1963.
  Following her years at the White House, Justine worked tirelessly on 
behalf of Democratic ideals. In 1980 she returned to Washington to work 
for my uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy, in his bid for the Presidency. After 
a stint with the General Services Administration, Justine served as an 
ombudsperson for then Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human 
Services Phil Johnston, and later as the director of client services 
for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until 1990. In this last 
position, Justine had an opportunity to display her deep and genuine 
concern for the plight of some of the neediest citizens in the 
Commonwealth. Her compassion for this same population did not diminish 
as she finished out the last 5 years of her career in public service at 
the Massachusetts Division of Medical Assistance.
  Rounding out her record of devoted public service, Justine has been 
very active in community affairs. Justine played an important role in 
the dedication of the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston, and she 
continues today as a member of the Friends of the Kennedy Library.
  I would like to join with Justine's family and friends as they gather 
this Thursday, May 15, to commemorate her efforts on behalf of her 
fellow citizens, and to extend to her my best wishes for the future.

                          ____________________