[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 174 (Tuesday, November 25, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15970-S15971]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO PHILIP SHANNON

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise in tribute to Philip J. 
Shannon, of Norwich, CT, passed away on Tuesday, November 11, 2003, at 
the age of 85. Philip was a dedicated public servant, a loyal Democrat, 
and above all, a good friend.
  He was a Norwich native who would dedicate much of his life to 
serving the people of his hometown. He graduated from St. Patrick's 
School and the Norwich Free Academy. Like so many in

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Norwich and across the State of Connecticut, he would go on to work in 
the manufacturing industry as a machinist at Pratt and Whitney and as a 
partner at the Norwich Machine and Tool Company.
  During his decades of work as a public official in Norwich, Philip 
was never one to stay silent on any issue that he felt was important to 
the citizens of that city. That approach won him many allies, and it 
certainly earned him his share of critics. But everyone admired the 
passion and the dedication that Philip Shannon brought to his many 
years of public service.
  He helped spearhead a series of important local projects, including 
the Norwich Golf Course and development along route 82. He also had the 
foresight to successfully campaign against selling the city's public 
utilities department to a private corporation. The decision to keep the 
department ultimately made the city more money than it would have 
received from the sale.
  Those are only a few of Philip Shannon's many accomplishments. In the 
words of Bill Stanley, a former State Senator, ``he did more for 
Norwich than anyone will ever know.''
  His work on behalf of the Democratic Party in Norwich was so tireless 
that he became known as ``Mr. Democrat.'' He served as Democratic town 
chairman for 20 years and represented Connecticut's 19th District on 
the Democratic State Central Committee. In his role as a party leader, 
he recruited numerous candidates who went on to hold local and State 
offices.
  Philip was as good to his friends as he was to the Democratic Party. 
He was a longtime friend of my father, and I will never forget how he 
supported me when I first ran for the Senate back in 1980.
  Norwich is a better place today because of the efforts of Philip 
Shannon. He will be greatly missed, both by the people he served and by 
everyone who knew and loved him.
  I offer my most heartfelt sympathies to Philip's wife Cresencia, his 
four children, six grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and his 
entire family.

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