[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 42 (Thursday, April 6, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E517]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    TRIBUTE TO SISTER EDMUNETTE PACZESNY, HILBERT COLLEGE PRESIDENT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JACK QUINN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 6, 2000

  Mr. QUINN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise today to pay tribute to 
my longtime friend and colleague, Sister Edmunette Paczesny, who this 
evening will be formally recognized and honored for her 25 years of 
service as president of Hilbert College.
  I've had the true pleasure of working closely with Sister Edmunette 
as a Councilman and Supervisor for the Town of Hamburg where Hilbert is 
located, and during these past 8 years as a Member of this Honorable 
Body.
  Throughout the past 25 years, Sister Edmunette's tenure as president 
has been distinguished through the expansion from a 2-year to a 4-year 
institution. She has seen the college grow, with the completion of 
Franciscan Hall. A year ago, she added an economic crime investigation 
degree program, which is one of only two such degree programs 
nationwide.
  Sister Edmunette's long-standing affiliation with Hilbert began in 
1962, when she served as an instructor in psychology and philosophy and 
later served as Academic Dean.
  In addition to her outstanding commitment to Hilbert, Sister 
Edmunette has been widely recognized for her tireless efforts and 
dedicated service to our community. She has received the Liberty Bell 
Award for the Erie County Bar Association, the Community Service Award 
from the Southtowns Coalition of Community Service, and was recently 
named the 1999 Citizen of the Year by the Hamburg Independent Citizens 
Club.
  For the past 44 years, Sister Edmunette has maintained an active 
membership with the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph. In addition to 
her religious service, Sister Edmunette is a member and past secretary 
of the Western New York Consortium of Higher Education and the Rotary 
Club of Hamburg/Sunrise, a member of the Mirror Board of Mercy/Our Lady 
of Victory hospitals and on the board of directors of Hopevale, Inc.
  Mr. Speaker, today I would like to join the faculty, staff, and 
administration of Hilbert College, the countless students who have 
studied at Hilbert, and indeed, all of Western New York in tribute to 
Sister Edmunette Paczesny. Best wishes to her in her next quarter 
century at Hilbert.

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