[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 76 (Thursday, April 30, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H3328]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING MARIO SALATI

  (Mr. RILEY of New York asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RILEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, this is a speech that I am not 
supposed to give. That is because Mr. Salati would say: Don't make a 
fuss about me, you have more important things to do.
  However, today, there is nothing more important than telling Mr. 
Salati how much we love him and how much we will miss him. Mario Salati 
was the son of immigrants from Italy who came to Endicott to seek the 
American Dream, and he found it.
  Mr. Salati was not just our elementary school principal, he was in a 
lot of ways the village dad. We all looked up to him because of his 
quick wit, his commitment to service, and his genuine love for our 
community, and most of all, his pure kindness.
  A proud U-E Tiger, Mr. Salati spent his career teaching and leading 
our public schools because he cared so much about our futures. Outside 
the classroom, you could find him at Saint Anthony's or the Sons of 
Italy, where his smile filled every room.
  For his children, Brian, Colleen, and David, his grandchildren, 
Aubrey, Lucy, and Charlie, and his brothers Roz and Don, and all of 
Tiger Nation, I know there is a big hole in your hearts right now.
  However, as Mr. Salati's favorite, Connie Francis, sang:

     You're safe in the glow of His love,
     Sent from the heavens above,
     Until the day that you're together once more,
     You'll live in these memories,
     Until the day that you're together once more.

                          ____________________