[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 61 (Thursday, April 26, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2813-S2814]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING JOHN T. CYR AND SONS, INC.

 Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, today I wish to offer my 
congratulations to John T. Cyr and Sons, Inc., on its 100th 
anniversary. This outstanding Maine company demonstrates why family 
businesses are so important to our Nation's economy and to communities 
in every State. The determination and vision that led to a century of 
success define America's entrepreneurial spirit.
  Sometime around 1903, John Thomas Cyr moved his family from Caribou, 
ME--my hometown--to Old Town, near Bangor, where he found work in a 
lumber mill. Nine years later, in 1912, at the age of 51, John T. Cyr 
struck out on his own. Joined by his son, Joseph, they started a livery 
stable and delivery business.
  What began with horses, buggies, and wagons is today a thriving 
enterprise of 22 luxury motor coaches, 200 schoolbuses, and nearly 250 
employees. A company that got its start hauling lumber for a local 
canoe factory now serves 17 school districts across Maine with an 
exemplary safety record. They offer tours throughout the United States 
and Canada--from New York City at Christmas to Washington, DC, in 
cherry blossom season. As a native of Aroostook County, I know how 
valuable their daily intercity service is to the towns and cities of 
northern Maine.
  Handed down and nurtured through the generations, this is a true 
family business, owned and operated by the founder's grandson, Joe Cyr, 
joined by his brother, Pete, son Mike, and daughter Becky.
  Their remarkable story of growth, of meeting challenges, and of 
delivering value was expertly told in a recent article in Maine Trails 
magazine. I would like to complement that account with my personal 
observations.
  Before coming to the Senate, I worked at Husson University in Bangor, 
where I had the pleasure of getting to know Joe Cyr, class of 1962, and 
his wonderful wife Sue, class of 1965. Joe has been a longtime member 
of the Husson Board of Trustees, and Sue has been a volunteer supporter 
of uncommon energy. Joe and Sue's generosity to Husson includes 
significant gifts to athletic programs, a new home for the university 
president, the annual fund, and most recently, the new Cyr Alumni 
Center. The countless ways they serve--from the Boys Scouts and the Y 
to St. Joseph Hospital--touch people of all ages.
  People throughout Maine are fortunate to have such a family as the 
Cyrs,

[[Page S2814]]

but I am especially lucky--my summer camp on Cold Stream Pond is just 
down the road from theirs. As much as I cherish our time together, 
having dinner, playing cards, and enjoying the beautiful Maine summer 
evenings, I cherish even more being in the presence of those who give 
so much to others and who see the act of giving as the greatest reward. 
I am delighted to extend my congratulations to the Cyr family in their 
business's centennial year and to thank them for their contributions to 
the State of Maine.

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