[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 3, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E297-E298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING FRANK SARRIS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TIM MURPHY

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 3, 2010

  Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, the people of 
Southwestern Pennsylvania lost an icon when Frank Sarris, founder of 
Sarris Candies, passed away Monday. A half century ago when Frank 
presented his sweetheart Athena with a box of chocolates, a loving 
Greek-American family and a chocolate empire were born.
  After giving Athena the chocolates, Frank kept thinking he could make 
a tastier product. He went to work in the basement of his Canonsburg 
home cooking up sweet desserts for friends and family. Word quickly 
spread of Frank's delicious concoctions. To keep up with the demand, 
Frank had to quit his day job as a forklift operator.
  Once the people of Southwestern Pennsylvania tasted Sarris Candies, 
their collective sweet tooth could not be satisfied. Frank moved out of 
his basement and opened a shop next to his home. Eventually, he tore 
down his home, built a bigger chocolate factory, and moved into an 
apartment above it. As his chocolate delectables grew in popularity, 
Frank soon became known as ``Candy Man'' throughout Canonsburg and 
beyond.
  The only son of Greek immigrants, Frank used his success to give back 
to the community. If there was a charitable event in Canonsburg, Frank 
could be counted on to donate chocolate or financial support. Children 
all across Pennsylvania sell Sarris Candies to raise money for school, 
sports, and clubs. And one does not have to travel far to find evidence 
of Frank's philanthropy. His legacy includes the Frank Sarris 
Outpatient Clinic to care for organ transplant patients, the Sarris 
Clinical Endowment to fund science research, and the Frank Sarris 
Public Library. In one way or another, Frank has touched the life of 
every person in Canonsburg.
  Generations of Southwestern Pennsylvanians have tasted and loved 
Sarris Candies. Today, parents who grew up on Sarris Candies take their 
children to the Sarris Chocolate Factory and Ice Cream Parlour. You can 
see the eyes of each child light up when the homemade ice cream covered 
with Sarris toppings is placed before them. At that moment, each parent 
remembers what it is like to be a kid again.
  Frank will be missed, but his memory will live on every time a person 
takes a bite from a Sarris candy bar or a small child walks in to the 
Ice Cream Parlour for the first time to order a sundae. Sweet dreams, 
Frank.

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