[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 107 (Wednesday, September 13, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1447]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      THANKING GEORGE NEWMAN FOR HIS SUPPORT OF THE WWII MEMORIAL

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                           HON. MARGE ROUKEMA

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 12, 2000

  Mrs. ROUKEMA. Mr. Speaker, I thank one of my constituents, George 
Newman of Oradell, New Jersey, for his magnanimous generosity in 
supporting the World War II Memorial being planned for construction in 
Washington, D.C. Mr. Newman is scheduled to present a check for 
$250,000 to organizers of the Memorial this Friday. This important 
memorial will offer our nation's thanks to the thousands of men and 
women who gave their lives defending freedom and opposing tyranny in 
the greatest battle of right and wrong we have seen in the past 
century. Mr. Newman, through the George W. and Amy Newman Foundation, 
will also contribute $100,000 to the United States Navy Memorial in 
Washington and $50,000 to the Submarine Memorial Association/U.S.S. 
Ling in Hackensack, New Jersey. In making these contributions, Mr. 
Newman will honor the veterans of what newsman Tom Brokaw called ``The 
Greatest Generation,'' and demonstrate that he, himself, is an 
excellent example of what made the WWII generation great.
  Mr. Newman is an excellent example of the ``self-made man.'' Born in 
the Hell's Kitchen area of Times Square in New York, he earned money in 
his youth by running errands for the actors and actresses of the 
Theater District. He and his friends soon became a small bit of show 
business themselves, singing in a trio at the 42nd Street Shuttle 
subway station. One memorable Thanksgiving Day, he and his friends 
brought in $45 between them, prompting his father to encourage him to 
continue his subway singing career. He continued bringing in $15 a week 
throughout his youth, a large sum in those days.
  Show business was not to be Mr. Newman's career, however. A job as a 
sign painter's helper enlightened him to the profit potential of 
outdoor billboards. He eventually founded Allied Outdoor Advertising 
Inc., which today is the leading privately owned outdoor advertising 
business in metropolitan New York. The company's billboards are used by 
many of the nation's leading major corporations to promote their 
products in prime advertising locations around the nation's largest 
city. As Mr. Newman's advertising business grew, he expanded it to take 
advantage of his subway experience by creating the New York Subways Co. 
That firm successfully bid for the right to advertise in the city's 
subway system and elevated train system, placing more than 26,000 
advertising signs in stations across the city.
  Mr. Newman's business acumen extends to real estate and 
transportation as well. Seeing the need for a major railroad terminal 
in the Meadowlands, Mr. Newman 26 years ago founded the Allied Junction 
Corp. and purchased the property where the new station is now being 
built. Similar in scale to Grand Central Station in New York, the 
project includes four 40-story office towers, a hotel and conference 
center that will create thousands of jobs and countless benefits for 
the people of New Jersey while at the same time addressing the region's 
demanding transportation needs. The project is funded in part by a $450 
million federal contract secured by former Congressman Robert A. Roe, 
who headed the House Public Works and Transportation Committee.
  The Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce has named Mr. Newman the ``Man of 
the Year'' and the Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission has 
named him ``Businessman of the Year,'' both in recognition of his 
contributions to the economic vitality of the community.
  Mr. Newman has shared his good fortune with the community, 
contributing millions of dollars to charitable and community 
organizations in an attempt to assist the less fortunate. He has 
generously supported the William Carlos Williams Art Center in 
Rutherford, which named its theater in his honor; Holy Name Hospital, 
which named its cardiac diagnostic center in his honor, and the Church 
of St. Gabriel the Archangel medical clinic in Newark. He has also 
given generously to many local parishes of the Catholic Church and to 
Catholic schools including Don Bosco Prep High School and Bergen 
Catholic High School. He has made repeated gifts to the American Red 
Cross and the Korean War Memorial.
  Mr. Newman's contribution this week to the World War II Memorial 
reflects a long history of military service and support for veterans 
within his family. His ancestors, who came to this country from England 
in 1630, fought in the American Revolution, the Civil War, the Spanish-
American War and World War I. Mr. Newman himself served in the Navy 
during World War II.
  Mr. Newman is also a dedicated family man, married for 60 years to 
his wife, Amy. The couple are the parents of two (including their son, 
George Jr., who died of illness many years ago), and grandparents of 
five.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my Colleagues in the House of Representatives to 
join me in thanking Mr. Newman. Once again, his record of achievement 
in business, his generosity in philanthropy and his willingness to help 
the less fortunate illustrate how he is a wonderful example of ``The 
Greatest Generation.''

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