[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 161 (Friday, October 3, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2230]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF JAMES F. LONERGAN ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT 
             FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

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                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 3, 2008

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to 
James F. Lonergan, a distinguished New Yorker who has selflessly 
devoted himself to his community and our nation. His contributions to 
the civic life of New York City are being recognized this month as he 
begins his retirement after many years of dedicated public service at 
the New York City Department of Education's Division of School 
Facilities, which he served with distinction as its Chief Executive 
Officer.
  After serving in the United States Navy in Vietnam, James F. Lonergan 
joined the New York City Department of Corrections. At the Department 
of Corrections, he served as Stationary Engineer, Senior Stationary 
Engineer and Supervisor of Mechanics. In 1989, he joined the New York 
City Department of Education and rose through its ranks, serving as 
Deputy Director of Facility Maintenance, School Plant Manager, 
Assistant Director, Director, Senior Director and ultimately Chief 
Executive Officer of the Division of School Facilities. As the Chief 
Executive Officer, he supervised 9,000 employees and managed a $1 
billion budget with effective leadership and consummate skill. 
Dedicated to education and self-improvement, he also earned a master's 
degree in urban affairs.
  He made the School Facilities Mission Statement his mantra: ``To 
provide a safe, warm, clean setting that is conducive to the education 
and nurturing of our children in the most economic and efficient manner 
possible and to provide a school environment that allows students to 
realize their full potential and to improve the quality of life in the 
community we serve.''
  James F. Lonergan views our public schools as cornerstones of the 
community, symbols of prestige in the community, and harbingers of a 
better future. He dedicated himself to making every school in his 
purview a ``beacon of light'' for the surrounding community. He was 
relentless and untiring in his efforts to improve the ``circle of 
quality'' that are our public schools. He fought against complacency, 
warning his co-workers that efforts to improve school facilities were 
never completed, and urging them on with the words, ``We must do it for 
the children.''
  Born in the Bronx in 1951 into a family of four boys and six girls, 
James and his family moved to the Borough of Queens in 1953. He is 
devoted to his wife, Joanne Lonergan, a teacher at Public School 24Q. 
Together they were blessed with two children, James III, 28 years old, 
a manager with the Social Security Administration, and Kelly, 26 years 
old, an attorney.
  In keeping with his energetic, can-do disposition, James F. Lonergan 
is not so much retiring as moving on to other activities. He is earning 
a second master's degree, in pastoral theology at St. John's 
University, and will continue to serve as a certified lay minister at 
Holy Trinity Parish and as a Eucharist minister. He will also remain 
very active in several veterans' and civic associations, including 
Vietnam Veterans, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Building 
Owners Management Association, Taxpayers Association, and the 
Whitestone Booster Association.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing the 
contributions to our civic life made by James F. Lonergan on the 
occasion of his retirement from a distinguished career as a dedicated 
and effective public servant.

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