[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 74 (Tuesday, June 3, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1078]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN MEMORY OF JOHN A. GANNON

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 3, 1997

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of John A. 
(Jack) Gannon.
  Jack Gannon was an American hero. He fought bravely in World War II, 
and when he returned home, he fought for the rights of working people. 
Jack joined the Cleveland Fire Department in the early 1950's. He 
fought fires on the front line. Through his experiences, he saw the 
importance of improving safety and increasing support for his fellow 
firefighters, and throughout the rest of his career he fought to 
achieve those aims.
  Jack was a union man. Jack joined the local committee of the 
International Firefighters Association, where his leadership skills and 
vision were quickly recognized. He rose to become president of the 
Cleveland Firefighters Local 93, where he served for 10 years. In 1980, 
Jack became president of the entire International Firefighters 
Association. Jack challenged his colleagues to improve safety and 
support. He was elected vice president of the AFL-CIO.
  Jack was a national treasure. President George Bush and the U.S. 
Senate appointed him as a member of the National Council on Disability. 
As the sole Democrat on the council, he worked to forge a bipartisan 
forum for disability policy issues, and eventually helped to pass the 
landmark Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. President Bill 
Clinton called upon Jack to help win passage for the first-ever U.S.-
sponsored resolution on disability policy in the United Nations 
Commission on Social Development and General Assembly.
  A champion for the rights of firefighters and the rights of the 
disabled, Jack Gannon left a legacy of which Cleveland, this House, and 
the whole Nation may be proud.

                          ____________________