[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 196 (Wednesday, November 18, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1045-E1046]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING TOMMY PACELLO

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 18, 2020

  Mr. COHEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Tommy 
Pacella, President of the Memphis Medical District Cooperative, who 
passed away gracefully on Monday at the age of 43. Mr. Pacella did much 
to improve his hometown, particularly the Medical Center area, where he 
helped 36 businesses open and thrive over the past six years. Before 
that, as an Assistant City Attorney and at the Mayor's Institute of 
Excellence in Government, Mr. Pacella brought best practices and a 
passion for improvement to his city, and they will be his lasting 
legacy. Mr. Pacello, a graduate of the Evangelical Christian School, 
the University of Georgia, and the University of Memphis, where he 
earned a law degree and Master's degree in city planning, was uniquely 
qualified to tackle the urban issues that were his chosen field, and he 
excelled. I was pleased to work with him on the

[[Page E1046]]

transportation infrastructure issues of the Medical Center district and 
appreciated his thoughtful ideas for improvements that he laid out at a 
roundtable forum I hosted just last year. Mr. Pacello was also chairman 
of the Memphis Chapter of the Urban Land Institute, which named him as 
one of the top 40 real estate professionals under the age of 40 in 
2015, and he served on the Memphis Area Transit Authority board of 
commissioners. The way he approached his illness with a positive 
mindset and a focus on the essential was an inspiration to all who knew 
him. I express my profound condolences to his wife, Olivia; his young 
daughters, Colette and Cecile; his many friends and colleagues; and all 
those his life inspired. I have no doubt that, had he been given more 
time, he would have been one of our greatest civic leaders. He led a 
fine life and will be missed.''

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