[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 26 (Thursday, March 12, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E366]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN RECOGNITION OF TOM TOHILL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 12, 1998

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in the House of Representatives 
to salute my friend Tom Tohill, as his 31 years of devoted and 
courageous service to the people of Long Island and to the Suffolk 
County Police Department draws to a close.
  On February 6 of this year, this outstanding police officer also 
retired from his position as president of the Suffolk County Police 
Benevolent Association. This Friday, I will proudly join Tom's family, 
friends and colleagues as the Suffolk County Police Officer's Emerald 
Society honors him as the 1998 ``Irishman of the Year.''
  The Tohill name comes from the Gaelic ``O Tuathail,'' which itself is 
derived from the Gaelic phrase ``mighty people.'' And the Tohills were 
a mighty people of the Irish County of Derry where their roots run as 
deep as the River Foyle that graces the banks of Derry City. Tom is 
certainly proud of his Irish heritage, and we are just as proud to say 
Tom Tohill is a son of Long Island. Born in the South Shore town of 
Copiague and raised in the Central Islip community, Tom is a graduate 
of the State University of New York in Farmingdale. He joined the 
Suffolk County Police Department on February 2, 1967 and served for 
more than 20 years in the Third Police Precinct in Bay Shore.
  Tom began his service to the Police Benevolent Association in 1982, 
when his fellow police officers elected him the union trustee for the 
Third Precinct, a position he served in until 1988. He moved to become 
the PBA's Financial Secretary, and then in 1992 the PBA membership 
elected him President.
  Tomorrow evening, Tom will be joined by his wife of 33 years, Diane, 
and surrounded by his children Brian, Jen, William, Melissa, Thomas, 
Michel-Lyn and Carolann, as his friends and colleagues honor him for 
his dedicated service to the Suffolk County Police Department, the PBA 
and the Emerald Society.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives 
to join me in praising Tom Tohill for his devoted and courageous 
service to our families, friends and neighbors in Suffolk County. Tom's 
integrity and dedication to the law during a 33-year law enforcement 
career serves as an honorable example to the police officers who carry 
on his work, and are an inspiration to all of us who value his devoted 
public service and selfless commitment to the residents of our county. 
Thank you Tom, and God bless you.

                          ____________________