[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 101 (Tuesday, July 16, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1063]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                CELEBRATING JAMES DARBY AND PATRICK BOVA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE QUIGLEY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 16, 2013

  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the 
50th anniversary of James Darby and Patrick Bova. Since 1963, Jim and 
Patrick have been in a loving, devoted relationship and together they 
have fought to secure marriage equality in Illinois and to allow gay 
and lesbian Americans to serve openly in the armed forces. I am proud 
to recognize this Chicago couple who have been at the forefront of the 
fight for equality in Illinois and across the country.
  Jim was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, where he worked 
in the stockyards before enlisting in the Navy. He served four years 
during the Korean War as a Communications Technician Second Class. In 
this role, Jim worked as a cryptographer and Russian linguist and 
earned both the National Defense Service Medal and the Naval Occupation 
Service Medal.
  Patrick grew up in Pennsylvania and attended Georgetown University in 
Washington, D.C. before moving to Chicago in 1960 to attend the 
University of Chicago Graduate School in Education.
  After Jim's honorable discharge from the military, he met Patrick in 
Chicago on July 17, 1963. They have been in a committed relationship 
ever since. Jim spent a 29-year career as a teacher in the Chicago 
Public Schools where he was recognized in 1985 as the Outstanding 
Teacher of the Year. Patrick spent a career working at the National 
Opinion Research Center. When Illinois legalized same-sex civil unions 
in 2011, Jim and Patrick were among the first couples to share in that 
new form of partnership.
  Together, Jim and Patrick have been working to ensure equality for 
all Americans serving in our armed forces. Jim founded the Chicago 
chapter of American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER) in 1992 and served 
for many years on the organization's executive board. Jim and Patrick 
have attended every AVER conference since 1992 and fought together to 
end discrimination against gay men and lesbians serving in the United 
States Armed Forces and for the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell.
  Jim and Patrick are also active in the fight for marriage equality in 
Illinois. As the lead plaintiffs in Darby v. Orr, the case before the 
Illinois Supreme Court challenging the ban on marriage equality as 
unconstitutional, Jim's and Patrick's advocacy and testimony have been 
instrumental in the fight to bring equal rights to all citizens of 
Illinois.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognition of the 
50th Anniversary of James Darby and Patrick Bova, a Chicago couple 
whose patriotic advocacy is improving the lives of gay and lesbian 
Americans in Illinois and across the country.

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