[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 127 (Wednesday, September 26, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S9871]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING JOHN O. QUINN

 Mr. TORRICELLI. Mr President, I bring to the attention of the 
Senate the accomplishments of one of my constituents who recently 
suffered a most tragic and untimely death. John O. Quinn, born on 
October 27, 1968 and originally from New Jersey, was senselessly 
murdered on August 25, 2001 while living in Puerto Cortes, Honduras.
  John had moved to Honduras in November of 1999 to help the residents 
of Puerto Cortes, Honduras recover from the devastation that Hurricane 
Mitch wreaked on the country. Up to the time of his death he was still 
living in the country and providing humanitarian and development aid to 
the people of Honduras.
  Now an act of violence has cut short this promising young life. While 
we hope his killers will quickly be brought to justice, I want today to 
pay tribute to what John did in the brief years of his life.
  John O. Quinn was a truly special person. He possessed a quality that 
very few people exhibit. He took joy in helping others. His 
unselfishness and passion for helping the less fortunate will always be 
remembered and will never be forgotten by those to whom he so 
generously dedicated his time.
  John was committed to helping people all over the world. His desire 
to help impoverished people took him to Honduras, Guatemala, Mozambique 
and Ecuador. In all of these countries he vigorously sought out people 
who were in desperate need of the development and humanitarian aid that 
he enthusiastically provided.
  John was the cofounder and executive director of the organization 
Action for Community Transformation, ACT. He founded ACT in January 
2000 as an international development organization dedicated to 
empowering people in need to find their own sustainable solutions to 
problems of poor health, lack of education and poverty. Action for 
Community Transformation provides assistance in four major areas of 
development: healthcare; youth development; education and vocational 
training; and income generation.
  As executive director of ACT, John's work was guided by the belief 
that respect for people comes first, urgent situations call for rapid 
responses, and greater participation leads to greater commitment. This 
last principle is the very definition of John's lifework. When John 
participated in development and aid projects, he did so with all his 
heart. He committed himself to helping others. The focus of his life 
was the people and communities that he felt it was his responsibility 
to serve. The help that John provided to victims of Hurricane Mitch in 
Puerto Cortes, Honduras illustrates John's dedication to and enthusiasm 
for helping people who desperately needed help.
  While working in Puerto Cortes, Honduras, John developed a micro 
lending program which allowed 45 families who lost everything during 
Hurricane Mitch to start micro enterprises. He was also responsible for 
the design and installation of a potable water system in Puerto Cortes, 
Honduras. He helped build a school and kindergarten that is attended by 
ninety-one students and he contributed to the construction of a medical 
clinic and over eighty houses for locals whose homes were destroyed by 
Hurricane Mitch. Characteristically, when John had time off from his 
activities associated with ACT, he spent it instructing the residents 
of the area in the English language. He was always looking for new 
people that he could help.
  Felicita Carcamo, a teacher in Puerto Cortes, Honduras 
enthusiastically praised John in the local newspaper. She said that 
Quinn loved the poor and was dedicated to the people of the area. A man 
who will be remembered in such a fashion must have been a truly 
wonderful person. John was this kind of a person.
  John's desire to help the poor and less fortunate began well before 
he came to the aid of the victims of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras and 
Guatemala. After graduating from the University of Vermont in 1991 he 
immediately joined the Peace Corps. As a member of the Peace Corps, 
John was stationed in Macas, Ecuador for three years. While there he 
worked to develop community health programs; community development 
programs; and livestock and agroforestry programs.
  In a procession honoring John's life, residents of Puerto Cortes, 
Honduras carried signs that read ``John Quinn, the community cries now 
that you have left us, and you will always live with us'' and ``for 
your dedication to others, God has thanked you.''
  In memory of his death, John's family has established the John Quinn 
Memorial Scholarship Fund that goes towards paying for the education of 
children living in Honduras.
  The help that John provided to the people of Honduras, Guatemala, 
Mozambique and Ecuador and his desire to help those who could not help 
themselves, must never be forgotten. Even though his life has been 
tragically cut short, he accomplished much in his lifetime and touched 
many lives. His family can be justly proud of John, even as they mourn 
his loss.

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