[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 59 (Wednesday, April 5, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E458]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING JOHN ALBAN FINCH

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM REED

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 5, 2017

  Mr. REED. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of 
John Alban Finch.
  Fifty years ago today, on April 5, 1967, a fire broke out at Cornell 
Heights Residential Club, an off-campus student dormitory in Ithaca, 
New York. The fire claimed the lives of eight students and one 
professor from Cornell University.
  Mr. Finch was the professor who perished in the fire. On the night of 
the tragedy, he immediately took action by awakening his neighbors in 
the building and calling the Cornell Safety Division. Despite heavy 
smoke, Mr. Finch ran back into the building to help other occupants 
escape to safety. A total of 62 people escaped the fire, many of whom 
attributed their survival to Mr. Finch's heroic and selfless actions. 
Tragically, Mr. Finch did not survive.
  Mr. Finch gave his life to save those in need--the true definition of 
a hero.
  Mr. Finch was an assistant professor and faculty advisor for the 
Ph.D. program at Cornell University. He originally came to Cornell in 
1960 as a graduate student on a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. Mr. Finch 
earned a master's degree in 1961 and a Ph.D. in 1964. The following 
year, he began working as an Assistant Professor of English and an 
instructor in the English honors program. Mr. Finch was a distinguished 
scholar and highly valued faculty member.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of John Alban 
Finch and recognizing his lifelong commitment to serving others.

                          ____________________