[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 42 (Thursday, March 5, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H2426-H2427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
                  RECOGNIZING GREENBURGH NATURE CENTER

  (Mr. LATIMER of New York was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. LATIMER. Madam Speaker, I rise to salute the outstanding work of 
the Greenburgh Nature Center, its professional staff, and its volunteer 
leadership for providing an environmental oasis for all to enjoy in the 
middle of a bustling suburb.
  The nature center is a 33-acre preserve just steps away from busy 
Central Avenue that offers hiking trails, demonstration gardens, and a 
live animal museum with barnyard animals and other wildlife. It 
provides educational programs, youth camps for kids, and an annual 
environmental set of events that welcomes the whole community.
  The professional team is led by Executive Director Alix Dunn. She had 
spent decades in environmental work with nonprofits in California 
before returning home to Westchester.
  Alix is aided by Marybeth Cagney, Chloe Digianni, Rosa Van Zandt, 
Elisabeth Mulder, Greg Wechgelaer, Andrew Michalski, and many others.
  The board of directors provides volunteer and community-based support 
and direction, led by President Dolya Fleck and other leaders: Jackie 
Feffer, Melissa Jones, Naomi Haber, Jim Blann, and former Town 
Councilwoman Diana Juettner.
  Madam Speaker, from the floor of the House of Representatives, we 
salute the team at the Greenburgh Nature Center for its constant 
advancement of this valued community asset.


            Recognizing Sound Shore St. Patrick's Day Parade

  Mr. LATIMER. Madam Speaker, the month of March, with St. Patrick's 
Day to be celebrated on March 17, is a time to honor those of us of 
Irish-American heritage.
  Across the Nation, much less in Westchester and in the Bronx, there 
will be parades and festive dinners to salute the Irish experience and 
accomplishments here in America.
  One such event is the 14th annual Sound Shore St. Patrick's Day 
Parade, scheduled for Sunday, March 22, in Mamaroneck. This loops 
together the Irish in communities from Larchmont to Rye and Port 
Chester to New Rochelle.
  Tonight, there is the annual Hearts & Shamrocks dinner, which was, 
for many, the annual scholarship fundraising effort for deserving 
students. At the dinner, the parade's 2025 grand marshal, Matt 
McCauley, will turn over his sash to the parade's 2026 grand marshal, 
Joe Carvin.
  Joe is a resident of Port Chester and a former resident of Rye Brook. 
He is an accomplished business executive, and yet he finds time to work 
with high school students, a voluntary action. He served as village 
trustee of Port Chester and as Rye town supervisor.
  I regret being unable to join them tonight, but we salute Matt, Joe, 
and parade leaders Joe Mauro and Michael Murphy as they celebrate 
together.
  From the floor of the House of Representatives, this grandson of 
Enniskillen in County Fermanagh sends our very best.


                        Recognizing Ronald Hicks

  Mr. LATIMER. Madam Speaker, I rise to salute the newly installed 
archbishop for the Archdiocese of New York, His Excellency, the Most 
Reverend Ronald Hicks.
  Archbishop Hicks has assumed the spiritual leadership of the 2.8 
million-member Catholic community that includes Westchester and the 
Bronx, succeeding the much-loved Timothy Cardinal Dolan, who served for 
16 years.
  Archbishop Hicks was most recently in charge of the diocese of 
Joliet, Illinois, and is well known by Pope Leo, also an Illinois 
native, who made this key assignment.
  The New York Archdiocese has 300 parishes and also runs 153 schools 
with an aggregate enrollment of 49,000 students. It runs a seminary, 
cemeteries, and links with various Catholic charitable organizations.
  A native of Illinois, Archbishop Hicks was ordained to the priesthood 
in 1994, served in local parishes as a seminary dean, and in an 
important assignment in Latin America before becoming a bishop.
  From the floor of the House of Representatives, we welcome Archbishop 
Ronald Hicks to New York, and we wish him great success in his pastoral 
services and in his church leadership.

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