[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 126 (Tuesday, September 25, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1730-E1731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        TRIBUTE TO TIM McCALLION

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JOE BACA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 25, 2001

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise to pay 
tribute to my friend, Tim McCallion, who will be inducted into the 
Independent Telephone Pioneer Association's Hall of Fame on September 
29, 2001 in recognition of his distinguished career with GTE.
  Mr. McCallion is an individual of great distinction, and we join with 
his colleagues, family and friends in honoring his remarkable 
achievements in the telecommunications industry and his service to his 
community.
  Tim's long career with Verizon, formerly GTE, began in 1976 when he 
joined the accounting department in Erie, Pennsylvania, as he was 
finishing up his MBA at Gannon University. Over the next two decades, 
Tim's career with GTE took him all around the country from 
Pennsylvania, to Indiana, Connecticut, Hawaii and finally to 
California.
  Though Tim's career began in the accounting field, he quickly moved 
into public policy. Tim currently serves as the Pacific Regional 
President responsible for Regulatory, Government Affairs, Public 
Affairs and corporate interests in Alaska, Arizona, California, 
Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and 
Wyoming.
  Tim's colleagues refer to him as the ``go to guy.'' A man who applies 
initiative and creativity to his service, Tim never fails to take on 
daunting tasks. When the ITPA needed to have their books audited, and 
incredibly demanding job with Verizon, Tim volunteered. His colleagues 
remark that in the fast paced and ever changing telecommunications 
market it is nice to know that there are people like Tim willing to 
help.
  I personally know this to be true. As a member of the California 
State Assembly and Senate, I worked closely with Tim over the years on 
several pieces of telecommunications legislation. I could always count 
on Tim for his tenacity and his expertise in telecom regulation and 
policy. He worked to spearhead telecom legislation in California that 
greatly benefited my constituents and the rest of the state. It was 
always a pleasure and an honor to work with Tim.
  Tim has continued to be a valued informational resource to me here in 
Congress. America leads the world in the Telecommunications Revolution, 
but there are still many goals to accomplish. I salute Verizon for its 
efforts to end the Digital Divide. Verizon has been a key supporter of 
HR 1542, the Tauzin-Dingell Bill, which will stimulate competition in 
the high speed internet market, giving consumers more choices, lower 
prices and more services. Tim's hard work supporting this important 
legislation has been critical in the two-year struggle that

[[Page E1731]]

I have been involved with since I came to Congress to bring this bill 
to fruition.
  Tim is not only being recognized for his career achievements with 
Verizon. A man committed to his community, Tim serves on the boards of 
several civic and charitable organizations. He is very involved in his 
local Catholic Church in Thousand Oaks, California and remains highly 
dedicated to the United Way of Ventura County having served on the 
Executive Board as co-chair, vice-chair and campaign chair. He has also 
acted as Verizon's Executive chair on annual United Way campaigns. Tim 
has displayed his civic leadership on the boards of the Los Angeles 
Urban League, the California Telephone Association, Los Angeles 
Children's Museum, and the Ventura County YMCA, and as a member of the 
California Chamber of Commerce, and the California Business Roundtable. 
It is precisely this commitment to his community that makes him such a 
vital asset in public policy.
  I have personally seen how Tim brings community service to Verizon. 
Tim facilitated Verizon's support of young students from my district 
who came to the Nation's Capitol to perform Mariachi music during Cinco 
de Mayo. It is employees like Tim McCallion that make Verizon a leader 
in community and charitable events.
  And so, Mr. Speaker, I join Tim's loving family, wife, Anne, sons, 
Brian and Keith, and daughter in law, Melinda, numerous friends and 
colleagues at Verizon in admiration of Tim McCallion's long and 
distinguished career in telecommunications and public policy, and we 
express admiration that he has received this wonderful and well-
deserved honor from the ITPA.

                          ____________________