[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 98 (Tuesday, July 13, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1522]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


               A TRIBUTE TO THE LATE DR. GENO SACCOMANNO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 13, 1999

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy and saddened heart that 
I now rise to honor the incomparable life of a man who gave 
immeasurably to his community, state, nation and all of humanity: Dr. 
Geno Saccomanno. During the course of his distinguished life, Dr. 
Saccomanno performed seemingly infinite acts of compassion, care, and 
kindness that impacted, very literally, many hundreds of thousands of 
people. Today, Mr. Speaker, as family and friends remember the 
remarkable life of this great American, I too would like to pay tribute 
to Dr. Geno Saccomanno and thank him for the remarkable life of service 
that he led.
  Beginning in 1948 and continuing until the last days of his life, Dr. 
Saccomanno served with widely acclaimed distinction as a medical 
researcher at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado. In his 
time there, he would quickly become a driving force behind the 
transformation of St. Mary's from a small rural hospital to a regional 
hub of medical service. Ultimately, the rise of St. Mary's Hospital to 
the position of stature it now enjoys is irrevocably tied to the 
extraordinary work that Dr. Saccomanno did on its behalf.
  Beyond bringing great renown to St. Mary's Hospital, Dr. Saccomanno's 
tireless efforts in the field of lung cancer research--the cause to 
which he devoted his life, also earned him great personal acclaim as a 
leading figure within his profession. His exhaustive research of cancer 
within uranium miners, which witnessed his testing of nearly 18,000 
uranium miners, was internationally lauded for the medical 
breakthroughs it produced. Dr. Saccomanno's sputum cytology method for 
lung cancer screening, one of the many offshoots of his research in 
this area, is still used by hospitals both in the United States and 
Japan.
  In addition to these professional achievements, Dr. Saccomanno also 
published a medical textbook, 80 research papers and invented medical 
instruments--including a brush to take cervical samples for Pap smears 
and a tube used in lung cancer screening.
  While medical history will long remember him for his research 
prowess, the Grand Junction community will always proudly recall Dr. 
Saccomanno as a philanthropist of unmatched generosity. A statement 
offered by Dr. Saccomanno several years ago embodies this notion: ``To 
help people, in our opinion, is a privilege. There is no endeavor that 
gives more pleasure than helping those in need.'' More than a 
superficial credo, his statement appears to be the foundation upon 
which he led his life. In all, Dr. Saccomanno gave beyond measure to 
causes too many to list. Most notably, Dr. Saccomanno and his family 
established the Saccomanno Higher Education Foundation, a $2.5 million 
endowment supporting high school graduates in need of financial support 
for college.
  It is with this humble gesture, Mr. Speaker, that I say thank you and 
good-bye to a man that I am proud to have called a friend. Although no 
words or tribute could ever adequately express the depth of his life 
accomplishments, nor communicate the level of sadness we feel at his 
passing, I am hopeful that Dr. Saccomanno's wife, Virginia, daughters 
Carol, Linda, and Lenna, and all of his grandchildren will take solace 
in the knowledge that the world is a better place for having known Geno 
Saccomanno.

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