[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 78 (Tuesday, May 9, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E408-E409]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           WORLD WAR II VETERAN EARL R. SONNIE 100TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 9, 2023

  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an 
outstanding constituent from my district, Earl R. Sonnie. As we 
celebrate his 100 years of life, we think of all the memories and 
stories that he continues to share, as a citizen of this great country. 
Earl was born in Philadelphia on June 5, 1923, grew up in the Port 
Richmond neighborhood, and made his family home on Delwhit Drive in 
Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
  Earl attended Dobbins Technical School where he landed a technical 
internship with The Franklin Institute Research and Development 
Laboratories and Museum in 1940, working part time until his graduation 
in 1941. He was immediately hired by The Institute and was fortunate to 
work with engineers on a night navigation project with the Norden Bomb 
Site/Sperry Gyroscope Instrumentation. At the time, the Sperry 
gyroscope was used on the B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. Given his 
exposure to flight instrumentation, Earl continued his education at the 
University of Illinois in flight instrumentation and mechanical 
engineering and enlisted in the United States Army Air Force in 1943. 
During WWII, Earl earned the rank of Sergeant and instructed pilots, 
co-pilots, navigators and bombardiers on instrument flying and 
precision bombing while he was stationed at Tonopah Army Air Field, 
Nevada and McChord Field, Washington. Also, Earl was proud to earn the 
Army Sharpshooter Weapons Qualification Badge.
  In 1946, Earl returned to Philadelphia to work for the next 42 years 
with The Franklin Institute Research and Development Laboratories, as a 
Research Engineer. During his career, Earl worked on many challenging 
and exciting projects. As a younger man, he provided maintenance on 
many science museum exhibits including the Foucault Pendulum and the 
Fels Planetarium. Given his mechanical expertise, Earl was assigned to 
several classified projects with teams from the U.S. Navy Base Norfolk, 
Virginia and with NASA at Moffett Federal Airfield, California.
  Earl was the devoted husband of 61 years to his wife Margaret 
(O'Neill); together they raised nine children in their Bucks County 
home. He enjoyed various little league and scouting activities with his 
children, many of which at Washington Crossing Historic Park. Earl has 
21 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren and is a member of the 
Feasterville Assumption Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church. He 
has enjoyed participation in the Knights of Columbus, has spent 
countless hours restoring his 1959 Triumph TR-3, and is a long-time 
member of the U.S. Chess

[[Page E409]]

Federation. Earl was an accomplished woodworker--making and gifting 
regulation chess boards.
  As we celebrate his 100 years of life, we are incredibly grateful for 
the many positive impacts he has made, and we heartily wish Earl 
continued joy and blessings.

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