[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 3 (Friday, January 25, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E34]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IN HONOR OF HONORABLE DENNIS P. COLLINS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 25, 2002

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and acknowledge the 
many accomplishments of Dennis P. Collins, who will be recognized 
Friday, January 25th, at Ireland's 32nd annual dinner dance to be held 
at the Hi-Hat Club in Bayonne, New Jersey.
  Before becoming an elected official, Mr. Collins served in the United 
States Army; worked for the Tidewater Oil Company; the Edward F. Clarke 
Real Estate and Insurance Agency; and the Bayonne Water-Sewer Utility. 
He is a former Assistant Secretary Director of the New Jersey Real 
Estate Commission.
  In 1962, Mr. Collins was elected to his first of three terms on the 
Municipal Council, two of which he served as Council President. He 
succeeded the late Mayor Francis G. Fitzpatrick in 1974 and served four 
terms as Mayor. He is the first individual to serve seven four-year 
consecutive terms in elective office and four consecutive four-year 
terms as Mayor in the history of Bayonne's municipal government.
  Former Mayor Collins served as an aide to former Governor Tom Kean, 
United States Representative Dominic Daniels, Frank Guarini, and also 
served on my staff as a friend and trusted advisor. Since 1988, he 
served as an aide to Mayor Joseph V. Doria Jr. He has remained a part 
of Bayonne's public life for more than forty years.
  Dennis Collins and the former Mary Bray celebrated their 55th wedding 
anniversary on October 19, 2001; they have three lovely children as 
well as three wonderful grandchildren.
  Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Dennis P. Collins 
for his friendship, dedication, and enormous contributions on behalf of 
the residents of New Jersey.