[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 178 (Thursday, December 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2341]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          JUDGE GERARD DEVLIN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 19, 2001

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great Irish-
American success story, Judge Gerard Devlin of Prince George's County, 
Maryland. Judge Devlin is called Jerry by his friends of which I am 
fortunate to be one. I have known Jerry for over thirty years, since I 
was an intern in Senator Brewster's office and Jerry was an elevator 
operator in the Capitol.
  I have valued Jerry's friendship over those three decades and have 
always enjoyed his boisterous and comic Irish sensibility. We have also 
shared a close professional relationship and Jerry was always a 
faithful ally through our days in the Young Democrats, the Maryland 
General Assembly and beyond.
  I pay tribute to Jerry today not simply because he is a good and old 
friend but to thank him upon the occasion of his retirement. His 
distinguished career in public service is not matched by many and his 
affable and courteous manner is appreciated by all.
  Jerry was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts on May 29, 1933. He 
attended public schools in Dorchester and Boston, and served in U.S. 
Marine Corps from 1955 to 1957. He went on to Boston College and 
Suffolk University, and graduated from the University of Baltimore 
School of Law in 1969. He also earned his masters from the University 
of Maryland in 1970.
  Jerry began his career in public service as a staff member in the 
United States House of Representatives in 1959 and later worked in the 
United States Senate. His service was not limited to the national level 
however. He served his local community for five years as a member of 
the Prince George's County Board of Election Supervisors from 1964 to 
1969, and as a member of the Charter Review Commission of the city of 
Bowie.
  Jerry also served his community as a teacher to Prince George's 
County's youth at Gonzaga High School, Bowie State University, and 
Prince George's Community College.
  In 1975, Jerry took his talent to the Maryland General Assembly where 
I had the pleasure of serving with him for six years. He was a member 
of the House of Delegates for eleven years and was named Freshman 
Legislator of the Year by the Maryland Young Democrats in 1975. He was 
also named Legislator of the Year by the Prince George's Municipal 
Association in 1983, 1985, and 1986.
  Jerry stepped down from his position as Associate Judge in the 5th 
District Court of Maryland this past September and retired from a long 
and praiseworthy career in civic affairs. During his tenure as a judge, 
Jerry was well-liked and respected by both bench and bar for his even-
handedness and wisdom. He had a good feel for fundamental fairness and 
through it all his Irish wit and humor shone through.
  Judge Bob Sweeney, the former Chief Judge of the Maryland District 
Court, said this of Jerry, ``One of the ten things that a good judge 
needs is courage. For a judge that means doing the right thing even if 
it is not the popular thing. Jerry Devlin personifies that type of 
courage.''
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to repeat today an Irish Blessing for my 
dear friend Jerry Devlin to thank him for his years of service and to 
wish him well in retirement: May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks 
that grow,/And may trouble avoid you wherever you go./May the road rise 
up to meet you,/May the wind be always at your back,/May the sun shine 
down upon your face,/And the rain fall soft upon your fields,/Until we 
meet again,/May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this great Irish American 
who gave forty years of public service to Prince George's County and 
the state of Maryland.

                          ____________________