[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 8, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E230]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN RECOGNITION OF JAMES A. CONAHAN, GREATER WILKES-BARRE FRIENDLY SONS 
                     OF ST. PATRICK MAN OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MATT CARTWRIGHT

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 8, 2022

  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, today I honor James A. Conahan who 
will be named the 2022 Greater Wilkes-Barre Friendly Sons of St. 
Patrick Man of the Year at the organization's annual gathering on 
Friday, March 11, 2022. James joins an impressive cohort of men 
recognized by the Friendly Sons as Man of the Year, including his 
father who was honored in 2002.
  James, born and raised in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, is the son of 
James Francis and Clare Conahan. He graduated from E.L. Meyers High 
School with the Class of 1981 and went on to attend King's College, 
earning a degree in health care management and playing baseball for the 
Monarchs.
  James began his career in the health care field at Nesbitt Memorial 
Hospital in Kingston, Pennsylvania, where he worked as the manager of 
the sterile processing and distribution department. Following his work 
at Nesbitt Memorial Hospital, he joined the staff at Scranton Community 
Medical Center, now Geisinger CMC, as the operating room materials 
manager. For the past 24 years, James has worked as an executive sales 
account manager for 3M Medical Solutions Division where he serves the 
acute hospital market.
  James has been a longtime supporter and member of the Greater Wilkes-
Barre Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, promoting and preserving Irish 
heritage in our region. He has served as president and president 
advisor, and he is the current chair of the Annual Golf Committee and 
Scholarship Committee, which supports a scholarship for local college 
students of Irish descent. He has been, and continues to be, involved 
in many of the Friendly Sons' endeavors, including the guest bartender 
program, the annual Wilkes-Barre St. Patrick's Day celebration, and the 
Irish teacher's program. In 2014, he was awarded the prestigious 
Michael ``Mickey'' Hayden Memorial Award by past president and Hayden's 
grandson, Patrick Peters, for his commitment preserving the region's 
Irish heritage.
  In addition to his service to the Friendly Sons, James has been a 
familiar face throughout the community, lending his time and expertise 
to organizations in the area. As a former collegiate baseball player, 
he shared his love and knowledge of the game as an official for the 
Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) and as 
president of the Wyoming Valley Chapter of the PIAA Baseball Umpires. 
He spent ten years on the board of the Wyoming Valley Sanitary 
Authority as chair of the Personnel Committee and assistant treasurer. 
As a lifelong resident of Wilkes-Barre, James has been actively 
involved in promoting the growth and development of the city. He 
currently sits on the boards of the Wilkes-Barre Parking Authority and 
Wilkes-Barre Municipal Authority. He also serves as ad hoc chair of the 
Wilkes-Barre Redevelopment Authority.
  It is an honor to join with the Greater Wilkes-Barre Friendly Sons of 
St. Patrick in recognizing James as the Man of the Year. He has been a 
great champion of the City of Wilkes-Barre and the preservation of 
Irish American heritage in the region. I wish him all the best on St. 
Patrick's Day.

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