[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 137 (Wednesday, November 12, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1544-E1545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMENDING THE NORTHERN VIRGINIA REGIONAL PARK AUTHORITY ON ITS NEW 
                         JEAN R. PACKARD CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 12, 2014

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Northern 
Virginia Regional Park Authority on the ground breaking for the new 
Jean R. Packard Occoquan Center. Work on this multi-purpose facility 
will kick-off of a major rejuvenation effort throughout Occoquan 
Regional Park, which sits in Fairfax County just across the Occoquan 
River from the Town of Occoquan in Prince William County.
   The 400 acre park is popular with families, boaters, and fisherman 
with its easy access to the river, athletic fields, picnic areas, and 
connections to multiple regional trails, including the Gerald E. 
Connolly Cross County Trail and the Potomac Heritage National Scenic 
Trail. The modernization of this regional park will feature a new 
entrance with greater roadside visibility, a loop trail traversing the 
entire park, a landscaped waterfront plaza, and other infrastructure 
improvements.
   A new focal point of the park will be the Jean R. Packard Center, 
named in honor of my good friend and mentor. Jean recently retired from 
the Regional Park Board after 24 years of dedicated service. It is 
difficult to overstate the tremendous environmental legacy Jean has 
cultivated here in Northern Virginia. A veteran of the Women's Army 
Corps during World War II, Jean moved to Fairfax in 1951 and got her 
start in public service much the same way I did as president of her 
neighborhood civic association. Thus began five decades of civic 
engagement, particularly focused on environmental stewardship and 
protection.
   She was the first woman elected as chairman the Fairfax County Board 
of Supervisors in 1972 and was an unabashed environmentalist before it 
became trendy. During my 14 years on the County Board starting in 1995, 
Jean was a member of my trusted kitchen cabinet and helped shape our 
award-winning environmental agenda. After her tenure on the Board of 
Supervisors, Jean became the first woman elected to the Northern 
Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Directors. 
Though not continuous, she has served on the Board multiple times over 
the past 40 years, and she is in the midst of her most recent term at 
the age of 91!
   She was a founding member of the Northern Virginia Conservation 
Trust, which recently renamed its lifetime achievement award in Jean's 
honor, and she has served on the national board of the Sierra Club. She 
has been recognized as Fairfax County's Citizen of the Year and Fairfax 
County Conservationist of the Year. I was proud to present Jean with 
the Fairfax County Park Authority's Sally Ormsby Environmental 
Stewardship Award, which is named in memory of our dear friend and 
fellow community leader.
   Fittingly, the new center that will bear Jean's name will include a 
robust educational component on our local history and the environment. 
It will tie in with the nearby Suffragist memorial within the park, and 
it will feature an interpretive collection showcasing the native flora 
and fauna of Northern Virginia at the time of John Smith's historic 
expedition in 1608. From its perch overlooking the river, the Jean R. 
Packard Center will put on full display the beauty of our local parks 
and demonstrate the value of protecting environmental treasures like 
the Occoquan for future generations.
   Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in commending the 
Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority for undertaking this grand 
park renewal and for its stewardship of its many other properties 
throughout the region, and I ask my colleagues to join me in 
celebrating the immeasurable contributions of Jean Packard a true 
environmental champion, who has dedicated her life to protecting and 
improving the natural resources that make our community such a 
wonderful place to live, work, and play.

[[Page E1545]]



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