[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 20 (Thursday, February 7, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E150]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MR. ED SIEGMANN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. TIMOTHY H. BISHOP

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 7, 2008

  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise on behalf of New York's 
first congressional district to mourn the passing of a beloved 
constituent and treasure of the Long Island community, Mr. Ed Siegmann.
  Born in Ridgewood Queens, New York in 1919, Ed was an exemplary 
citizen who served honorably in the U.S. Army during World War II. Upon 
his return, Ed became a tireless advocate for the interests of seniors 
on Long Island, perhaps most effectively as the President of the 
Suffolk County United East End Senior's Council.
  Frustrated by the lack of media coverage concerning health care and 
other challenges faced by seniors in Suffolk County, New York, Ed 
approached publishers with an idea to write about them himself. As a 
result, Ed's column in the Suffolk Life newspaper, ``The Upper Half,'' 
was born in 2000. The following year, Ed had the distinction of being 
the only Long Island resident to be awarded the prestigious Beneficiary 
Services Certificate of Merit.
  Ed's tireless work to promote economic and social justice for the 
elderly and disabled were boundless. He was the founder and vice 
president of Southold TaxPac; president of the Southold-Mattituck 
Senior Citizens Club; a member of Seniors Against Discrimination; and a 
member of Southold's Senior Housing Taskforce. He worked in these 
organizations to improve the lives of seniors by working to reduce 
taxes, and to promote affordable health care and moderately priced 
senior housing.
  Indeed, Ed was a local hero who was a shining example of a concerned 
and active citizen who was among our community's most effective 
champions for the rights of the elderly. It is entirely appropriate 
that he is honored by the naming of the Ed Siegmann Community Room at 
the Southold Town Human Resources Center.
  Madam Speaker, it was truly an honor to work with Ed and to call him 
a friend. On behalf of a grateful community, I thank Ed Siegmann for 
his many enduring contributions to eastern Long Island, where he will 
always be missed but whose memory will be forever cherished.

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