[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 22, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1525]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     TRIBUTE TO WILLIAM J. FRAWLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 22, 2008

  Mr. HIGGINS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the loss of 
one of Buffalo's finest public servants with the passing of William J. 
Frawley, a 39-year member of the Buffalo Police Department, on the 4th 
of July.
   Inspector Frawley demonstrated his commitment to our country at an 
early age when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 17 where he fought 
in Italy, France, Germany and Austria while serving with the 36th 
Infantry Division.
   As a veteran of World War II, he returned home to begin another 
chapter of service to his fellow citizens when he joined the Buffalo 
Police Department in 1947. Rising through the ranks, Bill Frawley 
personified professional standards and a strong sense of humanity as he 
rose through the ranks as a patrolman, lieutenant, captain and 
inspector. His calm and conscientious manner was especially needed when 
he oversaw the 911 operations during the Blizzard of 1977 as head of 
the Division of Administration and Communications.
   Known as a ``cop's cop,'' Inspector Frawley will be remembered in 
the words offered by Chief of Detectives Dennis Richards who called 
Bill a decent, compassionate leader and a mentor to future generations 
who lived by his own credo, ``never asked someone to do something that 
you yourself would not do.''
   As his sister, Kathleen, noted in the Buffalo News, he was a humble 
man of integrity who ``was tireless in his job. He did it because he 
loved it.'' He also valued education returning to college where he 
earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University at 
Buffalo in the 1970's.
   Though he retired in 1986, Inspector Frawley's legacy continued on 
through his design of the Buffalo Police Reorganization Plan which 
consolidated the city's 14 precincts into five districts. It was after 
his retirement that I became most familiar with his vision and 
management skills as I took up the challenge of implementing the plan 
during my tenure as a member of the Buffalo Common Council. The first 
consolidated district would eventually become a reality in my home 
district in South Buffalo.
   And South Buffalo was also Bill's home where young children would 
knock on the Frawley family door on Pomona Place for words of praise 
for improved report cards and special treats for special occasions. He 
was a strong, generous and faithful member of St. Teresa's Parish and 
in his later years, St. Agatha's Church. His service to others extended 
to giving of himself as he donated blood to the Roswell Park Cancer 
Institute Plasmapheresis Center nearly 600 times.
   His life story began a new chapter when he married Joan Haltam in 
1982 and for the next 22 years, the Inspector became a loving, caring 
husband and stepfather until her death in 2004. His devotion to his 
stepchildren, Joseph, Karen and Michael, never wavered.
   Madam Speaker, please join me in expressing our deepest sympathy to 
his beloved sister, Kathleen, and his stepchildren for their loss and 
our most sincere appreciation for the life of William J. Frawley. We 
are grateful for his lifelong example, both professionally and 
personally, of selfless public service, integrity, faith and dedication 
to family and community.

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