[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 13 (Tuesday, February 7, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E75]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING JUDGE SHARON S. TOWNSEND

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. THOMAS M. REYNOLDS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 7, 2006

  Mr. REYNOLDS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today 
to honor a respected jurist, a dedicated public servant and a trusted 
friend upon the occasion of her selection as recipient of the Susan B. 
Anthony Award from the Interclub Council of Western New York.
  Judge Sharon S. Townsend is most deserving of this award, as she 
exemplifies the spirit and character of Susan B. Anthony by her record 
of professionalism, community service and achievements. Judge Townsend 
was the first woman in the Eighth Judicial District to be appointed 
Administrative Judge, a position she assumed in January 2003.
  This fine judge's career is marked by her election to the New York 
State Supreme Court in November 2003, and she was previously elected to 
the Family Court in 1992 and re-elected to a second 10-year term in 
November 2001. Judge Townsend's community service also includes seven 
years as Justice in the Village of Williamsville.
  Mr. Speaker, Judge Townsend's involvement in a variety of civic and 
community organizations have made their mark on the community. She 
serves on the Board of Trustees and was a model court lead judge for 
the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. In 1995, she 
was appointed a member of the Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice 
for Children. Since 2003, she has served as a member of Chief Judge 
Kaye's Adoption Now Task Force, and she served as chair of the Family 
Court Advisory and Rules Committee for the New York State Office of 
Court Administration for four years.
  Her community activities reflect this dedication to Western New York. 
Her activities, among others, include, YWCA Public Leadership Alumnae 
Network, Governor's Commission on Child Abuse and Neglect, Bryn-Lyn 
Community Hospital Advisory Board, Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital 
and Gates Circle Operating Boards, Erie Community College North 
Advisory Board, and served as an adjunct professor at Medaille College.
  Her efforts have not gone unnoticed. Judge Townsend was recipient of 
the Erie County Court Appointed Special Advocates Light of Hope Award, 
the Outstanding Jurist of the Year Award from the Erie County Judges 
and Police Conference, and the Erie County Bar Association named her 
Jurist of the Year in 2001. In March 2004, she was recognized as one of 
the Women Making History in Erie County, and the next year she received 
from the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York, Western 
Chapter, the Lady Justice A ward, named in memory of Judge Townsend's 
mentor, the Honorable M. Dolores Denman.
  Mr. Speaker, in recognition of and in gratitude for her service, 
leadership and patriotism, I ask that this honorable body join me in 
honoring Judge Sharon S. Townsend upon receiving the Susan B. Anthony 
Award from the Interclub Council of Western New York.

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