[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 56 (Tuesday, April 2, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                          HONORING RALPH WHITE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM R. KEATING

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 2, 2024

  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the life of Ralph 
White.
  Born on October 25, 1931, to parents Ralph and Victoria White, Ralph 
was raised in East Boston and Westwood, Massachusetts. After graduating 
from Boston Trade High School in 1950, Ralph joined the U.S. Marine 
Corps and bravely served our country. While serving in Korea with the 
First Marine Division as a rifleman, Ralph was wounded in action 
defending his post. For his bravery, Ralph was awarded a Bronze Star 
and the Purple Heart.
  Once Ralph recovered, he returned to the U.S. and married the love of 
his life, Geraldine ``Geri'' in Kingsland, Georgia, on November 4, 
1952. He first met Geri in high school after she moved down the street 
from Ralph and his family in 1946. Ralph was still enlisted when they 
married and the couple spent their first few years of marriage living 
along the East Coast on several military bases before settling in 
Walpole, Massachusetts, in 1956.
  Together in Walpole, Ralph and Geri raised their four children--
Susan, Nancy, Lori, and William--and Ralph quickly established himself 
as a pillar of the community. He was commander of the Thomas H. Crowley 
American Legion Post 104, and as an avid baseball fan, Ralph coached 
Post 104's baseball team for nearly six decades in addition to coaching 
Walpole High School's baseball team for several years. To celebrate 
Ralph's contributions to the Walpole community, the town dedicated the 
sport complex at Bird Middle School in his honor in 2015.
  Following his service with the U.S. Marine Corps, Ralph began working 
as a corrections officer at Boston's Charles Street Jail. Ralph then 
worked at the Walpole State Prison before becoming a state parole 
officer. After he was shot on the job and survived life-threatening 
injuries, Ralph, along with several other retired state employees, 
founded Mass Retirees in 1968, and Ralph served as the association's 
president until 2013.
  Throughout his 45 years as president, Ralph played a crucial role in 
advancing many of the laws that protect and support public retirees in 
Massachusetts, including the cost-of-living adjustment. Several decades 
ago, with Ralph leading the charge, Mass Retirees successfully 
petitioned the Commonwealth to change its laws to allow all retired 
public employees to receive a regular and cumulative cost-of-living 
adjustment. Today, Mass Retirees continues to advocate for key issues 
affecting Massachusetts retirees, such as public pensions and health 
insurance. Ralph was pivotal in growing the association into the 
critical resource that it now serves as for its 52,000 members.
  In addition to his work with Mass Retirees, Ralph served as an 
elected member on the State Retirement Board for many years and was a 
founding member of the Commonwealth's Pension Reserves Investment 
Management (PRIM) Board, which he served on for two decades.
  Sadly, we lost Ralph too soon on January 26, 2024, at the age of 92. 
Whether it be his service with the U.S. Marine Corps, his years 
coaching youth baseball, or his nearly six decades of work on behalf of 
retirees, Ralph leaves behind an extraordinary legacy as a tireless 
advocate and mentor to many.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to honor the life of Ralph White, and I ask 
that my colleagues join me in recognizing his life's commitment to 
serving his community, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and our 
country.

                          ____________________