[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 134 (Thursday, December 7, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO MR. KEVORK S. HOVNANIAN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 6, 2006

  Mr. PALLONE.  Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize a most deserving 
business and community leader, Mr. Kevork S. Hovnanian. On Saturday, 
November 18, 2006, Kevork was honored as the Honorary Life Chairman and 
founder of the Fund for Armenian Relief at the New York Public Library.
  Kevork has been a benefactor in his community for decades. His 
business successes have always been interposed by examples of community 
leadership in both the United States and Armenia. He has exemplified 
the pursuit of business consciousness and never compromised his 
commitment to providing ``homes'' and not just housing.
  Kevork will leave a personal legacy marked by numerous 
accomplishments. In the 1980s, he partnered with the city of Newark to 
rejuvenate the areas impacted by the riots some thirteen years before. 
In 1996, the New Jersey Institute of Technology awarded him a 
President's Medal for ``Distinguished Achievement to an Outstanding 
Entrepreneur.'' Not three years later, his carer ethic earned him a 
place among other greats like Thomas Edison and George Gallup on the 
list of ``Twenty Five Top New Jersey Business Leaders of the Century.''
  The achievements he has earned since his immigration to the United 
States have not made him forget his roots. Kevork has loyally 
contributed to the Armenian people in times of celebration and need. 
The Diocese of the Armenia Church and the New Jersey Council of 
Christians and Jews both named him Man of the Year in recognition of 
his aid to earthquake victims in Armenia.
  He currently serves as the chairman of the Armenian Church Endowment 
Fund and Fund for Armenian Relief, which works for international 
development. This organization pledges to provide short and long-term 
plans for the economic and social development in Armenia. It is 
responsible for a variety of programs, ranging from soup kitchens to 
educational scholarships and implementing agricultural technology. 
There is a special focus on preparing Armenian youth as the future of 
their nation.
  As much as he is an active part of the Armenian community, Kevork 
remains vigilant in providing available health services to children and 
families in the local community. In 2002, Mr. Hovnanian helped 
establish the K. Hovnanian Pavilion and the Alton A. Hovnanian 
Emergency Care Center at Riverview Medical Center. The expansion of 
Riverview provided the facility with a new pavilion and emergency care 
center, which now houses the most advanced emergency and critical care 
centers in the area. Earlier this year, he funded the first state-
designated children's hospital in New Jersey's Monmouth and Ocean 
counties, named The K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in his honor. 
Here, families can find dedicated and personal health professionals who 
treat their patients as if they were their own children.
  Mr. Speaker, Kevork embodies the American dream. He came to America 
to escape political turnmoil in Iraq, and through hard work and 
unwaving motivation, he is now able to realize that dream in others 
through his service to the community. His dedication and passion 
deserves the utmost recognition.

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