[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 64 (Thursday, May 10, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E770]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING DAN GERNATT, SR. UPON HIS RECEIPT OF THE DeWITT CLINTON 
                             MASONIC AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. THOMAS M. REYNOLDS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 9, 2001

  Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor both an 
extraordinary man and a dear friend. On Saturday, May 12, 2001, Dan 
Gernatt, Sr., will be honored with the prestigious DeWitt Clinton 
Masonic Award from the Grand Lodge of the State of New York.
  Named in honor of former New York Governor DeWitt Clinton, this award 
recognizes those who have given ``distinguished or outstanding 
community service,'' and ``whose actions exemplify a shared concern for 
the well-being of mankind.''
  A dairy farmer who built the largest sand and gravel business in New 
York State, which today employs more than 200 people in seven plants, 
Dan Gernatt, Sr., has always worked to improve the quality of life in 
his community. He was not content simply to build a successful 
business, and believed strongly in giving back to those less fortunate. 
As the Dunkirk Observer noted, ``Gernatt is a philanthropist by 
definition: one who practices good will to fellow men; one who is 
active in the effort to promote human welfare; a humanitarian.''
  Mr. Speaker, in ``Song of Myself,'' Walt Whitman wrote ``I do not 
give lectures on a little charity. When I give, I give myself.'' 
Throughout his life, Dan Gernatt, Sr. has given of himself time and 
time again, and I ask that this Congress join me in saluting those 
philanthropic works upon his receipt of the DeWitt Clinton Masonic 
Award.




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