[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 23, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E425]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO MR. CONNIE L. RICHARD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DONALD M. PAYNE

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 23, 2004

  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a valued member of 
my district, Mr. Connie Richard. Mr. Richard has been a respected 
educator and administrator in the Newark Public School System for 35 
years and will celebrate his retirement on March 26, 2004.
  Mr. Richard was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but moved to Newark 
as a young child with his parents and sister. During his teenage years, 
he and his sister, Belita, were active participants in the Newark YMCA/
YWCA programs that I directed. His sister, Belita, was one of the two 
Newark High School teenagers selected to participate in a YMCA-
sponsored international travel program, which included a 3-week tour of 
Brazil, Ecuador, and Peru. His dedication to his studies and his 
academic achievements earned him a scholarship to study at the College 
of Santa Fe in New Mexico. He returned to Newark after graduation and 
began his career with the public school system.
  For the past 35 years, he has worked tirelessly within the Newark 
Public School System as both teacher and administrator. He has served 
as Project Coordinator of Elementary Reading Centers, District Title I 
Coordinator, Central Office Title I Coordinator, Chapter I Supervisor, 
Director of Special Projects, and Special Assistant to SLT Assistant 
Superintendent.
  Never content to end his day when working hours were over, he has 
been an active volunteer with the Sussex Avenue Recreation Program, the 
Alexander Street School Aerospace Club, and neighborhood athletic and 
leadership programs. He is a member of the New Jersey Education 
Association, the New Jersey Minority Caucus, the Association of School 
Administrators, the New Jersey Association of Federal Program 
Administrators, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum 
Development, the National Association of Federal Program 
Administrators, the National Coalition of Title I/Chapter I Parents, 
the New Jersey Congress of Parents and Teachers, and the Organization 
of African American Administrators.
  I can assure you that his retirement will be as active as his working 
life, full of time spent with family and friends, enjoying camping, 
athletics, and great jazz music, traveling to destinations both 
familiar and uncharted, and honing his woodcarving skills. I salute Mr. 
Richard for his dedication to the students, parents, and teachers in 
our community. I am proud to have him in my district, and I am proud of 
the legacy he has left for our public school system. Mr. Speaker, 
please join me in extending my thanks to Mr. Richard for his lifetime 
of public service, and I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing him 
a happy, fulfilling retirement.

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