[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 66 (Friday, May 13, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E891-E892]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING MARY BUSTILLO DONOHUE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEVEN R. ROTHMAN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 13, 2011

  Mr. ROTHMAN of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate 
my dear friend and longtime colleague, Mary Bustillo Donohue, on being 
honored by the Paramus Catholic High School Alumni Foundation for 31 
years of dedication as a Spanish teacher and Chair of the Modern 
Language Department. Mary's list of accomplishments and causes to which 
she has devoted herself is as impressive as it is extensive. I am very 
fortunate and proud to have such a compassionate and hardworking 
individual as a member of my staff.
  Mary was born on February 14, 1925 in Havana, Cuba, where she spent 
the first 8 years of her life until her family moved to New York City 
to escape the repressive Cuban government. Mary's passion for both 
education and civic involvement was instilled by her parents at an 
early age. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. and summa cum 
laude with an M.B.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, 
New Jersey. Mary later pursued a Ph.D. in Spanish Literature at New 
York University, but the economic pressures of having five of her eight 
children in college during that time interrupted her studies and she 
was only able to complete 69 of the 72 credits required to obtain the 
degree. She became certified as a teacher and joined the faculty of 
Paramus Catholic Regional Boys High School, eventually becoming the 
Chair of the Modern Language Department and the school's first female 
administrator. She also served as an Adjunct Professor of Spanish 
Literature at Seton Hall University for 7 years.
  Mary and her family moved to River Edge, New Jersey, where she 
quickly became involved in her church and in local political and civic 
causes. At St. Peter the Apostle Church, she was elected to serve on 
her parish's council, taught religious school, served as both a Lector 
and a Eucharist Minister, and became involved in various ministries. 
Mary joined the River Edge Democratic Club and went on to serve as 
Committeewoman for District 4 for 50 years. Mary was the first woman to 
ever be elected to the River Edge Council, where she served two terms. 
She was the first Hispanic-American ever elected to the Bergen County 
Board of Chosen Freeholders. As a Freeholder, Mary's commitment to 
education was instrumental in creating the Bergen County Academies. She 
was elected to serve as a member of the Democratic National Committee 
during both of President Bill Clinton's terms in office, and was 
subsequently elected Chair of the DNC's Hispanic Caucus during that 
time. As a member of New Jersey's Hispanic Task Force, she helped 
empower and register Latino voters across the State. Under Governor Jim 
Florio, Mary served on New Jersey's Democratic State Platform 
Committee, drafting the component addressing environmental issues. In 
1991, she ran as the Democratic candidate for New Jersey Senate in 
District 39, and although she did not win, her drive and desire to 
improve her community was hardly deterred. Mary is one of the founding 
members of the Latino American Democratic Association of Bergen County, 
LADA, an organization that was formed in 1993 and continues to grow 
today. She was appointed by Governor Christine Todd Whitman to the 
Historic New Bridge Landing Park Commission, where she led efforts to 
rename the River Edge Post Office Sub-station as the New Bridge Landing 
Post Office, to obtain State Park recognition for Historic New Bridge 
Landing, and to rename the North Hackensack, New Jersey, Transit 
Station as Historic New Bridge Landing at River Edge. Mary continues to 
serve devotedly as the Vice Chair of this commission.
  As a member of my staff in Hackensack, Mary works tirelessly to 
assist constituents with immigration and citizenship issues. Even 
outside of her diligent efforts as a Congressional caseworker, Mary is 
always striving to serve others in her community--whether she is 
teaching Spanish to senior citizens in Teaneck, working to beautify 
River Edge, or volunteering on a local Democratic campaign, I am in awe 
of Mary's boundless energy and devotion to civic duty. And yet, despite 
Mary's lifetime of accomplishments--of which there are too many to list 
here in their entirety--her proudest achievement is the beautiful 
family she created with her loving husband, Jerry Donohue. Throughout 
their 57 years of marriage, until his passing in 2003, Jerry and Mary 
remained steadfastly supportive of each

[[Page E892]]

other and madly in love. Together, they raised eight wonderful 
children, who have blessed them with 17 grandchildren and 2 great-
grandchildren, with two more great-grandchildren on the way.
  Mr. Speaker, today I have the privilege of recognizing Mary Bustillo 
Donohue for her extraordinary work as an educator and a lifetime of 
devotion to helping others. Mary is an inspiration to all who meet her, 
and I cannot thank her enough for all that she has done for so many and 
that she continues to do.

                          ____________________