[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 125 (Thursday, September 16, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1679]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE HONORABLE RAY A. CONNER AS 2010 CHESAPEAKE FIRST 
                                CITIZEN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. J. RANDY FORBES

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 16, 2010

  Mr. FORBES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and commend the 
Honorable Ray A. Conner as he receives the distinguished designation as 
First Citizen of the City of Chesapeake, Virginia for the year 2010. 
This prestigious honor is bestowed annually by the Chesapeake Rotary 
Club to an individual whose record of service and reputation of 
excellence and integrity exemplify the Rotary motto: ``Service above 
self.''
  Ray has an extraordinary record of public service that extends from 
his professional position as Chesapeake's Commissioner of the Revenue 
to his tireless efforts on behalf of a broad spectrum of community 
life.
  Demonstrating a lifelong commitment to excellence, Ray, an honor 
graduate of Great Bridge High School, received a Bachelor of Science 
Degree from Old Dominion University and entered public service as a 
Magistrate for the City of Chesapeake, Virginia. Rising quickly to the 
position of Chief Magistrate, Ray then became Commissioner of the 
Revenue--a position to which he has subsequently been re-elected eight 
times by the citizens of Chesapeake.
  Ray earned certification as a Master Commissioner of the Revenue from 
the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of 
Virginia, and his high professional standards have earned him positions 
of leadership as president of the Virginia Commissioners of the Revenue 
Association and president of the Virginia Association of Locally 
Elected Constitutional Officers. Ray has also served on the Advisory 
Committee of the Virginia Institute of Government and the Board of 
Trustees for the Virginia Retirement System.
  Ray's impressive and extensive record of service to the community 
includes leadership roles as president or as an officer of the 
Chesapeake Regional Health Foundation, the Chesapeake Rotary Club and 
its Foundation, the Chesapeake Crime Line, Oak Grove United Methodist 
Church, and the South Norfolk Ruritan Club. Ray also serves on the 
boards of directors of the Southeast Virginia Community Foundation and 
Towne Bank.
  Ray attributes his accomplishments and community spirit to the work 
ethic and personal values instilled in him by his parents, Dorothy 
Conner Payne and the late Clarence E. Conner, and to the loving support 
of his wife, Gretchen Maurer. Ray Connor has managed, through the force 
of his passion for his hometown and his profound commitment to serving 
others, to build a lifelong career of making Chesapeake, Virginia, a 
great place to live.
  Madam Speaker, I feel privileged to ask my colleagues to join me in 
recognizing and commending the Honorable Ray A. Conner as 2010 First 
Citizen of Chesapeake.

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