[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 123 (Tuesday, July 18, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H3644]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF BILL REYNOLDS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Rhode Island (Mr. Magaziner) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of the 
great Providence Journal columnist, Bill Reynolds.
  Ask any Rhode Islander and they will tell you that Bill Reynolds was 
an institution of Rhode Island sports and journalism whose column was 
read by thousands across the State.
  It was a tradition, a must-read, and families across Rhode Island, 
including mine, started their Saturday by reading his column, ``For 
What It's Worth,'' which included his latest not only on sports, but 
also pop culture, politics, movies, and more.
  He was a columnist at the Journal for almost 40 years, a New York 
Times best-selling author, and a Hall of Fame Brown University 
basketball player, who still played pickup games well into his 60s, and 
was known for his jump shot, which earned him the nickname ``Shooter.''
  Bill was one of the best sportswriters in Rhode Island history, who 
mentored an entire generation of aspiring writers and athletes. There 
will never be another like him. May he rest in peace.


    Celebrating Rhode Island Special Olympic Athlete, Brian Johnson

  Mr. MAGAZINER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 
achievements of Rhode Island's Special Olympic athlete, Brian Johnson 
of East Greenwich.
  Brian made Rhode Island proud by bringing home the gold for bocce at 
the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin last month.
  He and his teammate, David Young, defeated the team from Paraguay 10-
3 to win the unified doubles gold. To top it off, Brian also won the 
silver medal in the singles division.
  Brian has competed in the Special Olympics for 14 years, 
participating in track and field, basketball, bocce, bowling, cycling, 
flag football, and volleyball. He has been an advocate for inclusion 
and has shared the impact of his Special Olympics experiences with 
students at his school.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Brian for his incredible accomplishment. 
He has done himself and all of Rhode Island proud.


              Celebrating Jonathan Stone on his retirement

  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Jonathan Stone, who recently 
retired as executive director of Save the Bay Rhode Island after 14 
years of service.
  Founded in 1970, Save the Bay is Rhode Island's leading organization 
for advocacy, education, and policy to safeguard the Narragansett Bay 
and its tributaries.
  Jonathan led vital work to restore Rhode Island's coastlines and 
waterways, protect marine life, help our State adapt to climate change, 
and delivered major legislative victories for environmental 
conservation.
  He championed the Cesspool Phaseout law of 2015 to remove sewage from 
public waterways and the creation of the Ocean State Climate Adaptation 
and Resilience fund to protect vulnerable infrastructure and coastal 
areas from sea level rise in extreme weather.
  At the same time, Jonathan strengthened Save the Bay's environmental 
education programs, which have introduced hundreds of thousands of 
students to the bay, and launched construction of a new exploration 
center and aquarium, which will open this fall.
  Rhode Islanders are indebted to Jonathan for his commitment to our 
State and the waterways that make it so special, but we must remember, 
as Jonathan Stone reminded us when he announced his retirement, that 
the saving of Narragansett Bay is not complete.
  Mr. Speaker, I look forward to doing my part in Congress and using 
Jon Stone's leadership as an example.

                          ____________________