[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 187 (Monday, November 13, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1088]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF MARJORIE ``MARGE'' STANTON RYAN

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                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 13, 2023

  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Mr. Speaker, today I am pleased to recognize 
this year's Spirit of Mercy Honoree at Mount Mercy Academy, Marjorie 
``Marge'' Stanton Ryan. For over a century, Mount Mercy Academy has 
been a beacon of light and an indispensable institution within our 
community. With a unique focus on academic excellence, women's 
leadership, and a commitment to building a just society, it is only 
proper to commend all of those who have contributed to this much-
deserved reputation.
  Marge Ryan is one of South Buffalo's most dedicated activists, and 
her passion for bettering this neighborhood is nothing short of 
commendable. After graduating from South Park High School in 1959, 
Marge worked as a stenographer with RJ Walsh/Equitable Insurance before 
marrying Tom Ryan in 1959 and raising six children. Marge took on an 
active role in the parents' guilds at Mount Mercy Academy and Bishop 
Timon-St. Jude High School while her children were in school. Marge was 
a founding member of South Buffalo Alive, a nonprofit organization that 
dedicates its time and energy to improving the quality of life in South 
Buffalo and beautifying the neighborhood. She has worked with the 
Olmsted Conservancy Board and has a long history of working with 
elected leaders in the community to get things done including, the 
Mayors in the City of Buffalo, Buffalo City Council Members, the Parks 
Department, and the Department of Public Works, as well as working 
closely with county, state and federal representatives on important 
projects in our community. Marge is consistent and attentive, and you 
can tell almost immediately which gardens Marge makes her own by their 
beauty, simplicity, and by the way they are kept--tidy. Marge still 
actively helps to maintain: Mount Mercy Academy, Trocaire College, the 
Firemen's Memorial, Morgan/Heacock Park, the traffic circle gardens on 
McKinley Parkway, and the brick paths in Cazenovia Park and pocket park 
gardens around Abbott and South Park. Of course, her passion of 
gardening has been a constant through all her years, and it has led to 
the beautification of countless areas and parks in South Buffalo. Her 
friendship with Sister Marie Bernard was the foundation of her 
involvement and gardening at the Mt. Mercy Convent and Trocaire 
College. As a friend of Marge, I can say with confidence that our 
community is a better, more attractive place to live because of her 
unrelenting efforts.
  The award recipients and honorees tonight for Mount Mercy Academy's 
22nd Annual Dinner have exceeded the already rigorous standard for the 
members within this community. Mount Mercy's values and commitment to 
service are steeped in decades of tradition, and Marjorie Stanton Ryan 
continues to live these values in all she does. Marge shares this 
legacy with her husband, Tom, as well as her children, Mary Lynn ('79), 
Karen ('80), Maggie ('83), Kevin, David, Tom, Jr., and their 
grandchildren.

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