[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 39 (Monday, April 3, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E476]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    DEDICATION OF THE LATE JEREMIAH F. REGAN LIBRARY, OCEANPORT, NJ

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 3, 2000

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow evening, Tuesday, April 4, 2000, a 
most fitting tribute will be made in honor of a man whose passing, a 
little more than one year ago, is still acutely felt in our community. 
The Jeremiah F. Regan Library/Media Center will be dedicated in honor 
of the late Jeremiah F. Regan at the Maple Place School Library in 
Oceanport, NJ. Given his decades-long devotion to educational 
excellence, and providing better opportunities for our young people to 
get access to an education, naming this facility in Mr. Regan's honor 
is indeed very appropriate, a well-deserved recognition.
  Jerry Regan, a resident of Oceanport who passed away on March 9, 
1999, was one of those rare people who could always be relied upon to 
be involved in a wide array of professional, community, political and 
religious activities. And yet, more importantly, Jerry always 
maintained as his top priority his devotion to his family and friends.
  His involvement in education issues was both wide and deep. He served 
as New Jersey delegate to the National School Boards Association and 
represented school boards in New Jersey's Sixth Congressional District 
on the Federal Relations Network, a public school advocacy effort. He 
was a member of the Oceanport Board of Education, an adjunct professor 
at Monmouth College, and an active leader in the Monmouth County and 
New Jersey school boards associations. He was President of the 
Executive Board of the New Jersey School Boards Association from 1988 
to 1990, and held other senior posts with the Association.
  Jerry was also deeply involved in the political, religious and civic 
life of our community. He served as campaign director and comptroller 
for my predecessor, the late Representative James J. Howard, a Member 
of Congress for nearly a quarter of a century. He also served on the 
Diocesan Educational Advisory Council of the Diocese of Trenton. He was 
a communicant of St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in Long Branch, 
NJ, and was active in the St. Vincent DePaul Society. He was a 
Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 58 in Oceanport for 12 years. Jerry was 
also a member of the Oceanport Senior Citizens, and he served on the 
Public Employees Relations Commission.
  Jerry Regan was a proud patriot who served our country in time of 
war, and contributed to our national defense throughout his life. An 
Army veteran of World War II, Jerry had a long and highly decorated 
career at Fort Monmouth. He was promoted to the highest civilian level 
in the Department of Defense. He also served with me and several of my 
Congressional colleagues, past and present, on the Save Our Fort 
Committee. He was a member of the Oceanport Division of the Veterans of 
Foreign Wars.
  A great American, Jerry Regan was also a proud son of Ireland. Born 
in Skibbereen in County Cork, Ireland, Jerry came to the U.S. in 1932. 
He became an American citizen while serving in Germany with the Army. 
Throughout his life, Jerry maintained a strong devotion to both his 
native and his adopted homelands.
  On this occasion, I also would like to pay tribute to Jerry's wife 
Marilyn (Pinky) Regan, who has for many years done an absolutely superb 
job in my campaign office, and to their two sons and three daughters, 
all the grandchildren, and to Jerry's other relatives on both sides of 
the Atlantic. They have much to be proud of.
  Mr. Speaker, as Members of Congress, we are often called upon to pay 
tribute to outstanding citizens who are honored for their many 
achievements, and it is one of the most rewarding parts of our jobs as 
elected officials. It is even more rewarding when the person being 
honored was a respected colleague and a valued friend, like Jerry 
Regan.
  The dedication of the Jeremiah F. Regan Library/Media Center will 
stand for years to come as a tribute to the public service of an 
outstanding citizen and community leader. For those of us who were 
privileged to know him, the memories of Jerry Regan's warmth, humor and 
genuine decency will be equally enduring.

                          ____________________