[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 24, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E200-E201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING CHARLES FLACK UPON RECEIVING THE B'NAI B'RITH COMMUNITY 
                             SERVICE AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 24, 2004

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my very good 
friend, Charles ``Rusty'' Flack, Jr., of Dallas, Pennsylvania, who 
received the Community Service Award from the Seligman J. Strauss Lodge 
No. 139 of the B'nai B'rith. Mr. Flack received the award on February 
22, 2004 at the 58th annual Lincoln Day Dinner. I ask that my 
colleagues join me in congratulating Mr. Flack for this well-deserved 
honor and expressing our appreciation for the positive contributions he 
has made to Northeastern Pennsylvania as both a businessman and as a 
member of the community.
  For nearly a quarter of a century, Mr. Flack has served as Chairman 
and CEO of Diamond Manufacturing Company, a West Wyoming-based company 
that employs 250 individuals and has grown to become North America's 
largest supplier of perforated metals. In 1998, the Greater Wilkes-
Barre Chamber of Business and Industry bestowed upon Diamond 
Manufacturing Company its Small Business of the Year Award, and in 
2001, Diamond Manufacturing earned the distinction of being one of the 
Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania. These achievements are especially 
noteworthy because Rusty and his brother Hal inherited Diamond 
Manufacturing under tragic circumstances when their father died 
suddenly at an early age. Although only in their twenties when they 
took over the business, Rusty and Hal have led Diamond not only to 
survive, but to thrive.
  Mr. Speaker, I do not rise today merely to extol the success Mr. 
Flack has had as a businessman, though those accomplishments should not 
be dismissed. Despite the responsibilities any small business demands 
from its owner, Rusty has always remained involved in numerous civic, 
religious and educational endeavors and organizations. In each 
instance, he has performed with a commitment worthy of the award he is 
about to receive. I have called upon him myself on numerous occasions 
to seek his counsel and request his assistance in mediating difficult 
situations. The respect with which he is held within the community 
helped enormously in bringing adverse parties together.
  Among his many civic activities, Mr. Flack currently serves as 
Chairman of the Wyoming Valley Health Care System, the largest employer 
in Luzerne County; as the treasurer of the Wyoming Seminary, a 
prominent K-12 preparatory school in Northeastern Pennsylvania; and as 
a trustee for the College of Misericordia, a leading institution of 
higher learning. As an active member of the Prince of Peace Episcopal 
Church in Dallas, Pennsylvania, Mr. Flack has sung in the choir, taught 
religion to young churchgoers, and served in the vestry as a senior 
warden.

[[Page E201]]

  Mr. Speaker, earning the esteem of the B'nai B'rith deserves this 
body's recognition because it is a widely respected organization 
dedicated to the community it shares with people of all faiths. It is a 
privilege for me to stand before the House of Representatives to honor 
an individual like Charles ``Rusty'' Flack, Jr. I offer my deepest 
congratulations to him on his becoming a recipient of a Community 
Service Award, and I urge my colleagues to join Seligman J. Strauss 
Lodge No. 139 and me in extending our gratitude and admiration to a 
remarkable citizen who has distinguished himself as a businessman and a 
civic leader.

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