[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 134 (Thursday, August 20, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E800-E801]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CELEBRATING THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF ARTHUR KOVEN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RITCHIE TORRES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, August 20, 2026

  Mr. TORRES of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an 
extraordinary constituent of New York's 15th Congressional District, 
Arthur Koven, as he celebrated his 100th birthday on August 18, 2026.
  Born in Washington Heights in 1926, Arthur is the son of Joseph and 
Lillian Koven, hard-working immigrants from Lithuania. When Arthur was 
four years old, his family moved to Morris Avenue in the Bronx, where 
he grew up playing stickball and stoopball with neighborhood friends, 
and has lived in the borough since.
  A gifted student, Arthur skipped two grade levels and graduated high 
school at just sixteen from D.W. Clinton High School, before going on 
to City College and NYU Graduate School. At eighteen years old, Arthur 
answered the call to serve his country, enlisting in the United States 
Army in 1944 during the height of World War II. He was stationed in the 
Philippines and South Korea, where he served with distinction as a 
corporal in a tank unit, and he continued his service in the infantry 
until 1946. Like so many young men of his generation, Arthur left 
behind the comforts of home and the promise of his young adulthood to 
defend the freedoms we hold dear, and his willingness to serve stands 
as a lasting testament to the character, sacrifice, and unwavering 
patriotism of the Greatest Generation. We owe him, and all who served 
alongside him, a debt of gratitude that can never be fully repaid.
  In 1959, Arthur married his beloved wife, Joyce, and together they 
shared sixty-two wonderful years of marriage until her passing in 2021. 
They raised two children, Jill and Barry, and welcomed four 
grandchildren into their family, all of whom remain devotedly involved 
in his life today. After a career at an import/export company, Arthur 
retired in his early seventies and became an active and beloved member 
of the Riverdale Y New Beginnings Senior Center, where he has built 
lasting friendships, become known for his karaoke talent, and is fondly 
recognized for his height, his easygoing charm, and his enthusiasm for 
a good conversation about politics over lunch.
  As Arthur reaches one hundred years, we celebrate a century defined 
by service, family,

[[Page E801]]

and love. On behalf of New York's 15th Congressional District, I extend 
my warmest congratulations to Arthur Koven on his 100th birthday, and I 
offer my deepest gratitude, and that of a grateful Nation, for his 
service in defense of our country.

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