[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 98 (Tuesday, July 21, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1366-E1367]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO JIRAIR S. HOVNANIAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM SAXTON

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 21, 1998

  Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my 
constituent, Jirair S. (Jerry) Hovnanian, President of J. S. Hovnanian 
& Sons, Inc. as he celebrates 50 years in this great nation.
  Arriving in the United States in 1948 to attend the University of 
Pennsylvania's Wharton School, from which he graduated with a Bachelor 
of Science Degree in Business Administration, he was then, and 
continues to be, a creative and inspirational individual who is widely 
respected, personally and professionally.
  As Past President of the Home Builders League of South Jersey and a 
Life Director of the National Association of Home Builders, he was 
instrumental in the Uniform Building Code and the Municipal Land Use 
Law being enacted.
  Jerry pioneered the concept of using state pension funds for home 
mortgages to maintain a healthy economy in our home state.

[[Page E1367]]

  In recognition of his dedication and hard work on behalf of the 
housing industry, Mr. Hovnanian has received such coveted awards as the 
New Jersey Builders Association's ``Builder of the Year Award,'' and is 
a member of the Hall of Fame.
  His civic activities include the Presidency and Chairmanship of the 
Burlington County United Way, charter membership in the Mount Laurel 
Rotary, Executive Board Membership of the Boy Scouts of Burlington 
County, Founder of the Armenian Sisters Academy, a Montessori private 
school, and Jerry serves as Arch Deacon of St. Gregory's Armenian 
Church in Philadelphia.
  A ``golden'' anniversary is an accomplishment to be celebrated, and I 
congratulate Mr. Hovnanian on his fifty years in the United States of 
America.

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