[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 6 (Wednesday, February 4, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MARIE BIAGGI

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. THOMAS J. MANTON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 4, 1998

  Mr. MANTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Marie Biaggi, 
a true heroine--not one who has been heralded publicly, nor sought the 
fleeting fame of a celebrity--but a steadfast human being whose very 
being was the spiritual and emotional center of her family and whose 
guiding hand nurtured them in body, mind and soul.
  Marie was an unassuming woman, whose strength, determination and 
sheer will is without peer. She was a matriarch in the most positive 
sense of the word--a leader in the microcosm of her family, who chose 
to stay in the shadows so that others could bask in the sunlight of 
their own accomplishments--husband, children, grandchildren, friends, 
academic associates and community and humanitarian activists. It was 
her strength that served as a springboard for others to achieve, to be 
of service. It was her strength that made her a loyal friend, a good 
neighbor, the quintessential mother and wife.
  Born in Colonie, New York on March 18, 1918, Marie came from a family 
of five siblings. She and her four brothers, Anthony, Gene, Jerry, and 
Neil, enjoyed the simple pleasures of life in upstate New York. But, in 
that simplicity was generated an understanding of the most profound 
values of human existence--love of family and friends, strong spiritual 
values, a pride in work, and a tenacity that would allow her to prevail 
when others would have long since dropped by the wayside.
  When her family moved to New York City, Marie was employed at 
Schrifft's and, because her inner beauty was matched by her head-
turning outer beauty she was also employed as a model in the garment 
district. As life progressed, so did her commitment move more and more 
away from the business world to the world of her husband, children and 
family.
  She delighted seeing her husband of 56 years, Mario Biaggi, progress 
from postman to policeman to lawyer and, finally, to United States 
Congressman. It was her unceasing giving and constancy that provided 
the foundation for her husband to achieve, knowing the hearth and home 
were well tended. This same feeling of security and support that she 
gave to her children, Jacqueline, Barbara, Richard, and Mario Jr., that 
engendered in them the confidence to pursue successful careers in law, 
nursing, and psychology.
  No matter what tribulation, no matter how great the sacrifice, their 
mother was always there. This is surely lesson to be learned by 
individuals from all walks of life.
  As the family grew, so did Marie's desire to fulfill her personal 
goals--goals always born out of service to others--President and 
lifelong member of the Fordham Prep Mothers Club, member of AMITA, and 
Italian Women's Humanitarian Organization, member of the Board of 
Directors of the Bedford Park Senior Citizens Center, President and 
Member of the Columbia Association, founding member of the St. Philip 
Neri Assumption Society Security Patrol, and member of the St. Philip 
Neri Don Bosco Society--are some of her many accomplishments. Yet, 
while working in these volunteer capacities, she still had time at the 
age of 63 to graduate from Lehman College, having earned her Bachelor's 
degree in healthcare administration. Her motivation and grades were 
matched only by the warm way in which her professors and fellow 
students, albeit several years her junior, spoke of her.
  Her achieving a college degree was the ultimate crown in a family 
whom she inspired and guided to academic excellence. Her reward was 
knowing that she had achieved her goal, yet, also knowing she had done 
it without sacrificing the care of her family, without compromising her 
ultimate raison d'etre.
  When one pictures Marie however, one also has to picture a woman 
whose sense of purpose had a lighter side as well. Who can forget the 
sound of the famous cowbell ringing throughout Baker Stadium as Marie 
and her family cheered her son Mario on during Columbia football games? 
She was a woman whose New Year's Eve parties were much anticipated and 
filled with song and laughter; whose Columbia Association Christmas 
parties for policemen and their children were characterized by an 
overflowing sense of generosity and love; whose square dances for AMITA 
brought even the most sedentary to respond to the callers hoots and 
hollers; whose culinary talents, especially her apple pie, were 
committed to book form; whose joys and blessings were found in the 
smiles and accomplishments of her 11 grandchildren--Julio, Vanessa, 
Marisa, Nicole, Justin, Veronica, Alessandra, Maria, Christina, Alexis 
and Mario III; and whose interest in police work was not limited to her 
husband's career and resulted in an outstanding citizen award by the 
New York City Police Department when she aided in the capture of a 
perpetrator. Marie was a diverse and robust woman whose touch and 
kindness towards others transcended every level of society and 
humanity. Indeed, a remarkable human being whose call to greatness was 
in the silence of knowing who she was and in the unrelenting giving of 
self that marks a true heroine.
  If the spirit of a person is what distinguishes them; if this is what 
their ``essence' is, then Marie will always be with us, doing what she 
does best--guiding, caring, forever loving those she loves, unfettered 
by the limits of earthly form, more expansive, more boundless in her 
love and strength than ever before.
  She will be missed by all those who knew her or were touched in some 
way by her generous, caring nature.


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