[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 20, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E980]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   FITTING WORDS HONORING DICK FITTON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN A. BOEHNER

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 20, 1997

  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, Richard J. Fitton retired as chairman of 
the board of First Financial Bancorp on April 22, 1997. Today, I rise 
to honor Dick Fitton, a man for whom I have a tremendous amount of 
admiration and respect.
  Dick began his banking career in 1952 as a management trainee for 
First National Bank and Trust Co. in Hamilton, OH. In 1965, he was 
elected to the bank's board of directors, and became president and 
chief executive officer the following year. He led management in the 
formation of First Financial Bancorp in April 1983 and served as the 
holding company's president and chief executive officer. In 1991, he 
retired as president of First Financial Bancorp and was elected 
chairman of the board. His retirement from day-to-day banking 
activities came in 1992 when he relinquished his duties as chief 
executive officer of First Financial Bancorp. During his distinguished 
banking career, Dick served on the board of directors of the American 
Bankers Association, the Ohio Bankers Association, and the Federal 
Reserve Bank of Cleveland--Cincinnati Branch.
  As a lifelong resident of Hamilton, OH, Dick is one of this city's 
most respected and admired citizens. His continual commitment to the 
community and its people is an inspiration to all who know him. Dick 
carries with him a belief that his work is not finished until his 
community is better off. He has been a primary supporter of Ft. 
Hamilton-Hughes Memorial Hospital, Junior Achievement, the United Way, 
and the Hamilton Community Foundation. He has worked on many community 
projects that have benefited the city of Hamilton greatly, including 
the formation of Miami University's Hamilton campus, the Hamiltonian 
Hotel, and the low-level dam on the Great Miami River. His work on 
these projects, and others, have made his name synonymous with 
Hamilton, OH.
  Mr. Speaker, Hamilton, OH, would not be the city it is today had it 
not been for the life-long commitment that Dick Fitton has put forth to 
this community's development. He is a friend and a citizen we can all 
be proud of.

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