[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 52 (Monday, April 13, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E461]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          IN RECOGNITION OF RAY BARBER OF BOZRAH, CONNECTICUT

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 13, 2015

  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor an exceptional 
constituent from Bozrah, Connecticut whose lifetime of service, 
leadership, and expertise was recently recognized by the New London 
County Fire Chiefs' Association upon his installation as their next 
president.
  Ray Barber is a local institution with an extensive history of 
community and public service dating back to his teen years when he 
joined the Bozrah Volunteer Fire Company in 1952. As Chief and then 
President of the BVFC, Mr. Barber served through the town's acquisition 
of its first fire truck in 1953, and through the decades, helped grow 
the emergency services the town provides to its residents. Today, 
Bozrah is a heart-safe community with a full complement of EMTs and 
ambulance services thanks in large part to Mr. Barber's commitment to 
improving safety.
  Mr. Barber's contributions expand well beyond the BVFC. He served in 
the U.S. Army, as First Selectman in Bozrah, for 20 years, on the 
Bozrah Board of Finance, and in the Connecticut Council of Governments. 
It would be an understatement to say that his skills and passion for 
the region made his new role as President of the New London County Fire 
Chiefs' Association a richly deserved honor.
  As President, Mr. Barber will lead an 83-year-old institution with 65 
member organizations and will represent the interests of volunteer and 
career fire fighters across the region--over 3,000 personnel. I ask the 
House to join me in thanking Ray Barber for his service, congratulating 
him on this deserved honor, and wishing him success in the years to 
come.

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