[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 13 (Monday, January 25, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S989]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  WISHING MICHAEL O'HURLEY-PITTS WELL AS HE DEPARTS ST. PATRICK'S OLD 
                         CATHEDRAL AND NEW YORK

 Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, I rise today to express my deep 
gratitude to a constituent, Michael O'Hurley-Pitts, for his 
distinguished record of public service and to wish him well as he 
ventures North to Toronto in pursuit of new challenges and 
opportunities.
  As a young man, Michael served admirably as a paratrooper in the 82nd 
Airborne Division and as an Airborne Ranger with the 1st Battalion 
(RANGER), 75th Infantry. No ordinary soldier, Michael was decorated 
with the Bronze Star Medal for Valor in combat and received numerous 
awards, including the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement 
Medal with Three Oak Leaf Clusters.
  Following his tenure in the military, Michael continued to devote 
himself to the service of others. He became the Executive Director of 
the Children's Rights Council, contributed to parenting education 
programs in Washington DC, and championed the cause of peace and 
justice in his native-born Ireland. He also came to Capitol Hill, where 
he established himself as a respected congressional aide and counsel.
  It was through his work on behalf of two venerable New York 
institutions, St. Patrick's Old Cathedral and St. Patrick's Old 
Cathedral School, that I first learned of Michael's talents and 
commitment to public service. As St. Patrick's Old Cathedral 
Development Officer, Michael has been hugely successful in ensuring 
that its rich history is preserved and that the School's tradition of 
excellence continues into its third century.
  Saturday, January 16, 1999, marked the culmination of those efforts--
a grand celebration of the famed Irish Brigade soldiers of the Civil 
War, many of whom were immigrants and first-generation Irish-American 
parishioners of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral. The event included a 
Requiem Mass, a reenactment of their 1861 march to join Union forces, 
and a benefit concert by Irish legend Tommy Makem to be broadcast to a 
national audience by PBS on St. Patrick's Day weekend. While detained 
and unable to attend as I had hoped, I have learned that the 
celebration was magnificent and that there is strong interest in making 
it an annual event. Mission accomplished.
  I was saddened to hear that New York will soon lose the gifts of 
Michael O'Hurley-Pitts, but I wish him the best as he prepares for new 
challenges in Canada. Mr. President, I yield the floor.