[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 72 (Friday, May 30, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1069]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING SUSAN AMIRIAN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 30, 1997

  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call to your attention 
Susan Amirian of Clifton, NJ, who is being honored tonight by the 
Clifton Optimist Club in recognition of her outstanding community 
service to the city of Clifton. Susan began the fundraising efforts to 
obtain high-tech infrared imaging fire helmets for the Clifton Fire 
Department which cost $25,000 each and thanks to her extraordinary 
efforts, Clifton firefighters are now able to see through smoke, 
observe body heat from victims, notice heat behind walls, floors and 
ceilings and move swiftly through unfamiliar surroundings. In 
recognition of her accomplishments, Susan has received numerous awards 
statewide and was Citizen of the Year for the New Jersey Firefighters 
Association.
  Susan is a native of New York State and received a citation from the 
mayor of New York and the New York Police Department for volunteer work 
at the 72d Precinct in Brooklyn. She obtained her bachelor of fine arts 
from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and received her master's degree 
from the New School for Social Research. She was also a regional 
finalist in the White House Fellowship Program during the 
administration of President Ronald Reagan.
  Always eager to serve the community, Susan served on the Crop Walk 
committee this past fall to raise funds for the hungry. She also 
conducts workshops on recycled materials at the Hackensack Meadowlands 
Environment Center and takes part in first night activities in 
Montclair. Susan is also on the board of Clifton Hospice and is a 
Sunday school teacher and church council member at the First Lutheran 
Church. Currently, she is assistant director of the office of 
publications at Montclair State University and is responsible for the 
production of catalogs, manuals, brochures, newsletters, and posters 
for the university.
  Susan and her husband, Armen, an electronics shop worker at the 
Metropolitan Opera Co. and freelance writer, are the proud parents of 
their 10-year-old son, Garen.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like for you to join me, our colleagues, Susan's 
family and friends and the city of Clifton in recognizing Susan 
Amirian's outstanding and invaluable service to the community as she is 
presented with the Clifton Optimist Club's Judge Joseph J. Salerno 
Award.

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