[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 21, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2019]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO THE CALI FAMILY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 21, 1997

  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call to your attention the 
Cali Family who were honored on Friday, October 17, 1977, by the Center 
for Italian and Italian-American Culture.
  Vincenzo Cali, the family patriarch, arrived in the United States 
from Aidone, Sicily in 1901 at Ellis Island. An immigrant farmer 
arriving in America, Vincenzo continued westward until he reached a 
part of the United States with hills and vistas like those of the 
Aidone he loved--the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. He then brought his 
wife, Maria Grazia, to America,
  Though a farmer, Vincenzo soon became a contractor in the lucrative 
coal mines of Bear Canyon, located in the Sangre De Cristo mountains of 
Colorado. It was in the hills of Bear Canyon where his sons, Angelo and 
John, experienced an idyllic early childhood. They were 13 and 10 years 
old respectively when, in 1928, due to an economic downturn, the Cali 
family moved east for the prospect of earning a better living.
  Angelo attended high school in Passaic, NJ. He received a B.A. degree 
from Montclair State University and did graduate work in anthropology 
at Columbia University. He was director of adult education in Clifton 
from 1938 to 1942. During World War II, Angelo was an officer in 
Military Intelligence in the European Theater of Operations [ETO] 
attached to the 3d Armored Division. After the war, Angelo was a 
training facilities and contract officer, charged with rehabilitating 
veterans.
  John attended Clifton High School and received a B.A. degree in 
psychology from Indiana University. During the war, John worked as an 
industrial psychologist for the Industrial Relations Methods in New 
York City, a company specializing in the supervision of wartime 
workers. Soon after the war, John and Angelo developed proprietary 
schools for training veterans and in particular, opened the first 
School for Modern Music in New Jersey.
  In 1949, Angelo and John saw an opportunity presented by the post 
World War II housing shortage and embarked with their much-loved 
childhood friend, Edward Leshowitz, on careers in real estate 
construction and investment. They formed Cali Associates and began 
developing one-family communities throughout northern New Jersey. In 
the early 1960's, they began to include apartments and condominiums in 
their construction activities and over the years have built more than 
5,500 residential units.
  In the last 1960's Cali Associates expanded its operations to include 
developing and managing office properties. Cali Associates earned 
praise for their original and pleasing designs and many have received 
architectural awards. Seven buildings have been awarded the ``New Good 
Neighbor Award'' for their unique architecture and contributions to the 
local economy. In addition, Cali has twice received the ``Developers of 
the Year'' awards from the National Association of Industrial and 
Office Properties [NAIOP].
  In 1977, Angelo's son, John R. Cali, decided to join Cali Associates 
along with Brant Cali, John's son. Both sons learned the construction 
and management business from the bottom up and were well prepared to 
assume the responsibilities of managing Cali Realty Corp. when it made 
its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in August 
1994.
  When Cali Realty went public, its assets consisted primarily of a 
portfolio of 12 office buildings adding up to 2.5 million square feet. 
Going public gave the founding fathers, Angelo and John, the 
opportunity to pass the torch over to the second generation of Calis. 
This continuity is clearly a source of pride for the Cali family.
  As chief administrative officer, John R. Cali took on the 
responsibilities for directing acquisition functions for Cali Realty. 
Brant Cali, the chief operating officer, is responsible for directing 
the property management, leasing and marketing activities for Calif 
Realty. In just 3 years since going public, the second generation has 
expanded the company across the tristate area, completing more than 9.7 
million square feet of acquisitions, accumulating more than 117 
properties and increasing the total market cap of the company from $300 
million to nearly $2 billion.
  In 1996, John J. Cali retained the title of chairman and passed on 
the title of CEO to Tom Rizk, a close friend brought into the business 
to serve as general counsel. All partners and their heirs are still 
with Cali Realty.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me, our colleagues, the Center for 
Italian and Italian-American Culture, friends of the Cali family and 
the State of New Jersey in applauding this family's realization of the 
American dream and recognizing their many outstanding and invaluable 
contributions to the community.




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