[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 59 (Friday, April 11, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E739]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO JOHN LAWLOR QUIGLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 10, 2003

  Mr. DELAHUNT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a man who dedicated 
his life to ensuring that the veterans and working men and women of our 
country had access to the best quality health care available. He was an 
individual of the highest integrity and character. Sadly, he passed 
away on Thursday, January 23, 2003, after a long illness. Hailing from 
Mashpee, Massachusetts on Cape Cod, his was a life devoted to his 
fellow men.
  John Lawlor Quigley was born on April 29, 1922. He was married to 
Jean Regan and leaves three children--Jan, Kristen and John. He was 
also the proud grandfather of nine grandchildren.
  He served his country honorably as a member of the United States 
Marine Corps during World War Two, and earned the Purple Heart for 
being wounded on Iwo Jima in 1945. After the war, he returned to 
Massachusetts, determined to become a positive force in his community. 
He graduated from Georgetown University and Boston College Law School 
with a law degree before making a run for Massachusetts House of 
Representatives. Though unsuccessful at his first run in politics, it 
may have been a blessing in disguise as his work then focused 
exclusively on veterans and health care issues.
  John's commitment to America's veterans and to equal healthcare 
access for working families was instilled in him from an early age. His 
father, Lawrence F. Quigley, an 11 term mayor of Chelsea, 
Massachusetts, was the Commandant of the Chelsea Soldiers' Home, a 
state facility for homeless veterans as well as those with medical 
conditions necessitating long term care from 1934 to 1948. John 
succeeded his father and oversaw the Home for over 3 decades, from 1948 
to 1980. The Quigley legacy over the last 7 decades is such that the 
Home's hospital has been renamed after John's father and in a sense it 
is fitting that John's final moments were spent in a place that he had 
nurtured and had truly become part of the fiber of his being.
  He also was heavily involved in health care issues nationally. He 
served as President of the Massachusetts Hospital Association from 
1961-62, Director of the American Hospital Association's Region 1 and 
President of the New England Healthcare Assembly. Membership in these 
organizations enabled John to tackle the many varied and constantly 
evolving issues in the healthcare industry. It was a platform he used 
to good effect. The loyalty of his peers, employees and fellow veterans 
is proof of that.
  In addition to his many personal and professional responsibilities, 
John also made the time to be an active member of his community through 
involvement in a number of civic organizations. He lived his life with 
a concern for his fellow man and genuinely cared about the future of 
America. John Quigley is an example for all of us and as he looks down 
on us today, I want to add my voice to the chorus of accolades he has 
earned many times over for his devotion to veterans, love of country 
and dedication to family. I salute you and may God bless you.

                          ____________________