[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 129 (Thursday, October 6, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2020]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               STATEMENT IN REMEMBRANCE OF KENNETH SMITH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM SAXTON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 6, 2005

  Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sorrow I announce the 
passing of Kenneth Smith of Manahawkin, New Jersey, after a long battle 
with cancer. Ken dedicated his life toward enhancing the sandy beaches, 
not only of New Jersey, but of the entire nation.
  Ken Smith was a tireless and dedicated advocate for protecting and 
enhancing our beaches. He knew how much they mean to our state and 
national economies, and he fought tenaciously to assure the federal 
government gave beach preservation the priority it deserves. For over a 
quarter of a century, Ken was America's ``Coastal Advocate.''
  Ken spent eight years as a Vice President and as a Director of the 
American Shore and Beach Preservation (ASBPA); and is a co-founder of 
the Alliance for a Living Ocean, formed in response to the terrible 
summer when garbage and other pollution was washing up on the Jersey 
shore in 1987. The Alliance for a Living Ocean won the Governor's Award 
for Volunteerism in 1999. Ken, known as ASBPA's ``Tenacious Bulldog at 
the Beach,'' won the organization's prestigious Morrough P. O'Brien 
Award in 1999, followed by its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.
  The millions of tourists who come to visit and enjoy our beaches each 
year from across the nation and from around the world, as well as ail 
those whose communities are protected from the ravages of storms by 
these same dunes and healthy beaches, owe Ken a debt of gratitude for 
all that he accomplished. Ken was the leading force in bringing an 
awareness to so many people about the importance of working together to 
preserve not only our beaches and oceans, but the environment and our 
natural resources as a whole. His dedication to not only protecting the 
beaches but educating people on the importance of preservation was 
unparalleled.
  I extend my sympathies to his wife, Pat, and to his entire family and 
hope that these words of appreciation will comfort them in their time 
of sorrow.

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