[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 56 (Tuesday, April 2, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E300]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CELEBRATING GINNY WHALEN'S 100TH BIRTHDAY

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                         HON. MICHAEL R. TURNER

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 2, 2024

  Mr. TURNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Mrs. Mary Jane Berghoff Whalen, a resident of my 
Congressional District in Kettering, Ohio, who will celebrate her 100th 
birthday on June 1, 2024.
  Ginny was an only child, born and raised on a farm in Fort Wayne, 
Indiana. She was homeschooled through eighth grade, before graduating 
from Central Catholic High School in Fort Wayne, and attended Rollins 
College in Winter Park, Florida.
  Ginny met a native Daytonian, Herbert E. Whalen, Jr., and they were 
married on June 29, 1946. They established a home in Kettering, and 
raised four children. She is currently the proud grandmother of nine 
grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. During their sixty years of 
marriage, Ginny and Herb served as role models and civic leaders in 
their community.
  As dedicated parishioners of St. Albert the Great Catholic Church in 
Kettering, Ginny and Herb worked together to renovate and expand their 
spiritual home. They served on the committee that enlarged the church 
from a one-room building in the 1940s, to the thriving community that 
currently serves over two thousand families. Ginny has remained a 
faithful member of the church for over 70 years.
  In the 1970s and 80s, Ginny and her husband worked diligently to save 
the Oregon District, one of Dayton's oldest historic neighborhoods, 
from demolition. She worked with the city to facilitate the renovation 
of two houses and four apartments, and continues to support the 
historic preservation efforts of the Oregon Historic District Society.
  From an early age, Ginny adopted the motto: ``To give back to 
others.'' The generous amounts of time and energy she has contributed 
to a variety of volunteer and civic organizations serve as an example 
for all of us.
  Ginny remained active and involved in her community throughout her 
nineties, and has indulged in a variety of hobbies and personal 
interests that include: reading, playing the drums (which she still 
loves to do), harmonica, tennis, horseback riding, and participating in 
her local theater group ``Hamlets.''
  I am proud to join Ginny's family and friends in celebrating her long 
and extraordinary life. I wish her a very happy birthday, and in the 
years to come may God bless her with continued good health and 
happiness.

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