[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 209 (Tuesday, December 19, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1247-E1248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE LIFE OF PIERCE ``PETE'' CONNAIR, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 19, 2023

  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy 
of former Connecticut State Senator Pierce F. Connair, Jr. He passed 
away on November 29, 2023, having lived a long, meaningful, and happy 
life of 97 years.
  Born to Hazel and Pierce Connair, Sr. in 1926, Pierce Jr. attended 
parochial school at Vincentian Institute in Albany New York, and was 
admitted to the College of the Holy Cross. With America at war, Pierce 
entered militarv service in 1943, training with the naval aviation 
cadets. His service to the United States extended through both World 
War II and the Korean War, as a Navy officer.
  While a pupil at the Vincentian Institute, Pierce would meet the love 
of his life, Irene, at 16 years old. Their courtship persisted, and he 
and Irene married after World War II in 1948, settling in Glen Falls, 
New York. During the Korean War, the Connairs transited among several 
naval bases, eventually returning stateside to settle in New England. 
By 1971, Pierce and Irene found their permanent home in East Lyme, 
Connecticut. Pierce managed Sears-Roebuck stores across New York and 
New England, bringing him to New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and 
Massachusetts.
  From an early age, Pierce was involved in numerous local 
organizations in Albany, New York such as the Knights of Columbus. He 
joined numerous committees, helping ensure successful fundraisers for 
his chapter. Community service is a throughline in Pierce's life,

[[Page E1248]]

whether in New York or Connecticut, Pierce made certain to stay active 
in organizations that shape neighborhoods and towns.
  Upon his permanent move to Connecticut, Pierce very quickly 
established himself as a lynchpin in the southeast Connecticut business 
community. By 1974, Pierce was appointed president of the Southeast 
Connecticut Chamber of Commerce--truly a meteoric rise given his just 
coming to the region in 1971. By 1981, his position in the chamber 
changed from President to Executive Director--an office he held until 
1984. Pierce was not content serving his community in merely a business 
capacity. Some of his additional involvement includes acting as 
president of the New London Rotary, serving as a trustee of the Savings 
Bank of New England, and as vice president of the Connecticut Retail 
Merchants' Association. He was also heavily involved in the United Way 
of southeast Connecticut, sitting on its Board of Directors and being 
named Residential Chairman. He is remembered for the vigor he attacked 
his work with at the United Way, urging fellow community members to 
generously give to its drives.
  By 1980, Pierce retired from managing Sears stores and focused his 
new-found time on realty and government. In 1984, Pierce was elected 
State Senator and served in the prestigious and powerful position of 
co-chair of the Appropriations Committee. After his tenure came to an 
end, Pierce remained active in his community. In 1993, he helped lead 
the response to the decline of the defense industry in Eastern 
Connecticut, championing retraining programs for those workers laid off 
by a shifting economy in the wake of the Cold War.
  Mr. Speaker, I consider myself incredibly lucky to represent 
constituents as community oriented as Pierce. Pierce showed up in every 
aspect of his life--whether for his family or for his neighbors. Pierce 
served not for his own glory or fame, but because it was right to do 
so. Although his passing leaves a hole in Eastern Connecticut's 
community, we can take solace in the knowledge that his legacy of 
selfless volunteerism and care for his fellow citizens lives on in the 
thousands he touched. We mourn his passing with his surviving family--
children Michael, Thomas, Stephen, and Patricia as well as their 
respective spouses and children. I ask my colleagues to join me in 
extending our deepest admiration and appreciation for a life well 
lived.

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