[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 80 (Tuesday, June 20, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1208]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IN HONOR OF JEAN JOSEPH SIBILLY 1889-1997

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN

                           of virgin islands

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 20, 2006

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, each year in mid-July, the French 
Community on St. Thomas, in my District, observes French Heritage Week, 
commemorating the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 which 
marked the beginning of the French Revolution, with a week of French 
flavored activities.
  This year, the French Heritage Week Committee is posthumously 
honoring Jean Joseph Sibilly, patriarch of the French community of 
Estate Elizabeth on St. Thomas.
  I ask my colleagues to join me today to honor and acknowledge the 
innumerable contributions this great visionary made to the Virgin 
Islands in general and his community in particular.
  Jean Joseph Sibilly was born on the French Caribbean island of St. 
Barthelemy on January 5, 1889, but grew up and received his education 
on the island of Guadeloupe. Trained in agriculture and animal 
husbandry, he emigrated to St. Thomas in 1912 and established residence 
on the north side of the island, an area predominantly occupied by 
other French immigrants.
  At age 23, this agricultural entrepreneur purchased Estate Elizabeth 
and a few years later another 268 acres with 12 other north side 
families in nearby Estate Lerkenlund to be used for farming. This area 
has had a long legacy as until recently the French north side farmers 
were still the primary source for fresh produce.
  He was a self taught skilled engineer and builder credited for 
planning and supervising the road system on the north side of St. 
Thomas, the construction of numerous homes and public buildings, and 
was legendary for his ability to draw a straight line without the aid 
of conventional instruments.
  Above all else, he was a humanitarian and community leader. His 
generosity is exemplified by the large tracks of land he donated to the 
Catholic Church and the local government. The community's Catholic 
Church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and adjacent cemetery, as well an 
elementary school, were made possible through his philanthropy. Not a 
politician or elected official, he was however influential in local 
elections and served as the guardian of good government in the 
particular interest of the people of the north side of the island.
  On March 9, 1973, the Tenth Legislature of the Virgin Islands 
approved Resolution 3395 which renamed the Robert Herrick Elementary 
School the Joseph Sibilly Elementary School in honor of his great 
community spirit, generous donations, and good deeds.
  A devout Roman Catholic, his religious beliefs were reflected in his 
daily life. In recognition of his humanitarian spirit, The Virgin 
Islands Daily News on his passing wrote, ``Joseph Sibilly was in a 
sense an Old Testament man, a patriarch with vision and strength and 
generosity. He left for all of us a valuable legacy, the knowledge that 
ultimately a man serves himself best when he serves others''.
  Jean Joseph Sibilly's generosity, considerateness, wisdom, foresight, 
pride in and love for his fellow man deserve our recognition honor 
today.

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