[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 72 (Thursday, April 27, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E554-E555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE LIFE OF EDWARD J. DONLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. CHARLES W. DENT

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 27, 2017

  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Edward J. 
Donley, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Products and 
Chemicals, Inc. in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Ed was a dear friend and 
mentor to me. After 95 years of life, many of which were spent as a 
prominent figurehead in the Lehigh Valley's business community and as 
an impassioned advocate for early-childhood education, he passed away 
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on April 1, 2017. As a testament to Ed's 
legacy, his son John wrote a tribute to him, a portion of which I 
summarized and would like to include in the Record today:
  Ed Donley was born in Detroit on November 26, 1921. During the 
Depression, his family moved back to their farm near Richmond, 
Michigan. After graduating from high school, Donley won a scholarship 
to Lawrence Institute of Technology (now Lawrence Technological 
University) in Detroit and earned an engineering degree in 1943. 
Shortly before graduating, Donley was hired by a new industrial gas 
company, Air Products, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to design 
portable oxygen generators for Allied bombers in World War II.
  Donley met his future wife in Chattanooga: Ms. Inez Cantrell. They 
wed on October 24, 1946 and were happily married for 66 years until 
Inez passed away in 2013 from Alzheimer's disease. The couple had three 
children--Martha, Tom, and John, ten grandchildren, and a growing bevy 
of great-grandchildren.
  Air Products relocated to the Lehigh Valley in 1949, and Donley 
became Vice President of Sales in 1957, President and Chief Operating 
Officer in 1966, Chief Executive Officer (1973-86), and Chairman of the 
Board (1978-86). During his time at Air Products, he was especially 
proud of his commitment to promoting employee safety, recruiting top 
students each year, and creating long-term shareholder value.
  In the Lehigh Valley, Donley led many local projects. In the 1960s 
and 70s, he was a trustee of Cedar Crest College, the Allentown Art 
Museum, and WLVT public television. He and his wife Inez gave their 
time and financial support to Community Services for Children, the

[[Page E555]]

Allentown Library, KidsPeace, Lehigh Carbon Community College, and the 
Da Vinci Science Center.
  Additionally, Donley served on many business and non-profit boards, 
including a stint as director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for 11 
years. He was active in the health care industry as well, helping to 
create the predecessor of the Lehigh Valley Health Network in the 1970s 
and working with the Rotary Club to found Lehigh Valley Hospice, Inc. 
in 1980--just the second hospice in the U.S. at that time.
  Similarly, Donley held a great passion for early-childhood education. 
In addition to leading education initiatives, he and his wife gave most 
of their assets to The Donley Foundation, a trust now run by their 
children and grandchildren, which supports the work of literacy and 
early-childhood education groups.
  While philanthropy and a strong business acumen served as catalysts 
for many of Ed's lifetime endeavors, his commitment to his wife, his 
children, and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren will ultimately 
be how he is remembered. Mr. Speaker, I ask that the House please join 
me in celebrating a giant of a man and a life well lived, as well as 
expressing sympathy to his family and our community, both of which have 
been made better by his outstanding life and legacy. Rest in peace, 
dear friend.

                          ____________________