[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 108 (Friday, July 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1832]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING GERALD GAW

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 17, 2009

  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
remarkable leader in the Clinton Community, Gerald Gaw.
  Gerald Gaw, Superintendent of Clinton. Public Schools, will be 
retiring this week after 32 years of service to the children of the 
Clinton Public School District. Gerald dedicated his career to serving 
his community, beginning as a middle school math teacher at the age of 
27. Throughout the past thirty years, Gerald nurtured students as both 
a middle and high school teacher before serving as principal of first 
the Clinton middle school and then Clinton High School. In 2004, Gerald 
was recognized for his outstanding work when he was selected for the 
position of Superintendent of Schools, where he has helped the school 
district thrive.
  Gerald was born and raised in the small Clinton community. Throughout 
his many years in the school district, he would often find himself 
teaching children whose parents had been his students or interacting 
with school committee members who had cared for him as a child. Gerald 
was committed to playing his part in the small community too, nurturing 
the children of Clinton for the futures that lay ahead of them. 
Educating children is Gerald's passion, a passion that thousands have 
benefited from during their time in Clinton schools.
  Gerald was one of the first principals to work in the new Clinton 
High School and was largely responsible for the transformation of the 
new building into a state-of-the-art educational facility. As the MCAS 
standardized testing was initiated across Massachusetts, Gerald 
promoted high achievement throughout the school, implementing new 
programs intended to prepare students for success.
  Among Gerald's many talents, foremost was his compassion and his 
ability to connect with students. Reaching out to students from 
difficult backgrounds or those who needed just a little extra help was 
a mission Gerald added on to his already long list of responsibilities 
as an administrator. Whether it was talking with students during lunch 
hour, encouraging them in the classroom, or working out with them in 
the gym, Gerald was known for befriending children who needed a 
positive presence in their lives. As principal, Gerald coached a Pop 
Warner football team, and even as superintendent he tried to spend as 
much time as possible with the children. As he enters retirement, 
Gerald is looking forward to going back to the classroom as a math 
teacher at a college.
  Gerald will be missed by the faculty and thousands of students whose 
lives he shaped in a multitude of ways. I wish him and his wife Carol, 
along with their three sons, many happy years in a well deserved 
retirement.
  Madam Speaker, I know all of my colleagues join me in thanking this 
remarkable man for his many years of dedication to the people of the 
Clinton.

                          ____________________