[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 54 (Tuesday, April 20, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E693-E694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO CHIEF ROBERT J. PIZZUTI

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 20, 1999

  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Chief 
Robert J. Pizzuti of Montclair, New Jersey, an outstanding individual 
who has dedicated his life to public service. He will be honored this 
Friday, April 9, 1999, by parents, family, friends, and professionals 
for his 43 years of outstanding contribution to the community through 
his outstanding leadership of the Montclair Fire Department. Chief 
Robert Pizzuti personifies public service through his true commitment 
to firefighting and the people of Montclair, New Jersey.
  Robert J. Pizzuti was born on Willow Street in Montclair, New Jersey 
on the first day of January, nineteen hundred thirty five. He attended 
Immaculate Conception School in Montclair from first grade until 
eighth, where he then attended Montclair High School, where he 
graduated in 1952. After graduating from high school Chief Pizzuti 
fought in the Golden Gloves as a Welter Weight, weighing in at 147 
pounds, where he was very successful winning a numerous amount of 
awards. In 1953, he joined the armed forces and served for the next two 
years as a soldier in the Army. While there he attended a leadership 
school at Camp Chaffee in the state of Arkansas. Chief Pizzuti was 
released from the Army on September 13, 1955.
  In June of 1956, Chief Pizzuti took his first Fire Exam and passed 
scoring the highest grade on the exam. He was officially sworn in as a 
firefighter on August 1, 1956. Chief Pizzuti has continued to serve on 
the Montclair Fire Department for 43 years and has performed in a 
variety of positions. He was sworn in as Lieutenant FireFighter on 
December 10, 1968, then as Captain on March 6, 1980. He was sworn in as 
Deputy Chief

[[Page E694]]

FireFighter on August 14, 1984, then as Acting Chief on October 1, 
1990. Finally on July 1, 1991, Mr. Robert Pizzuti was sworn in as Chief 
Robert Pizzuti of the Montclair Fire Department, and it is in that 
capacity in which he has served for the last eight years. He is a 
member of the F.M.B.A. and is also the Sergeant at arms of the Chief's 
Association.
  Chief Pizzuti has been acknowledged by many groups over the years for 
his civic awareness; the March of Dimes, Christ Church, the Borough of 
Glen Ridge, the New Jersey General Assembly, the Dr. Martin Luther King 
Jr. Youth Summit, and the Montclair Optimist Club, to name just a few. 
Chief Pizzuti has also been involved with First Night in Montclair, as 
well as coaching softball, baseball, and football.
  Chief Robert Pizzuti has been married to Eleanor Majewski since May 
18, 1957. And they have five children; Diana, Tracy, Robert Jr., Robin, 
and Thomas. He and his wife are also grandparents to seven 
grandchildren and they are presently expecting their eighth.
  Mr. Speaker, since I took office in January of 1997, Chief Robert 
Pizzuti has been a member of my Eighth Congressional District Public 
Safety Committee that has been so instrumental in counseling me on 
issues of importance to those who are charged with saving lives every 
day. In fact, Chief Pizzuti was one of the forces behind the 
Firefighter Investment and Response Enhancement (FIRE) Act which I 
recently introduced in this esteemed body. This law will provide 
federal grants directly to paid, part-paid, and volunteer fire 
departments to hire more firefighters, train firefighters in state-of-
the-art techniques, and better equip firefighters so that they can more 
effectively save lives. It was in large part to Chief Pizzuti's 
imagination and initiative that this innovative piece of legislation 
was crafted.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you please join me, our colleagues in the 
United States House of Representatives, Robert's family, friends, and 
co-workers, the Montclair Fire Department, and the Township of 
Montclair, New Jersey, in thanking Chief Robert Pizzuti for all his 
years of service to the community and congratulating him on his well 
deserved retirement, his presence will be greatly missed.

                          ____________________