[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14716]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 14716]]

                      A TRIBUTE TO VINCENT BERGAMO

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 29, 1999

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to invite our colleagues to 
join me in honoring Vincent Bergamo, a great American who has spent his 
life promoting and upholding the principles of fairness and opportunity 
in the sport of harness racing.
  Judge Bergamo is to be honored in Goshen, N.Y. on July 4th at the 
Harness Hall of Fame Dinner, where he is to receive the coveted 
Proximity Award for long and outstanding service to the sport of 
harness racing. The award, in itself, is a microcosm of the splendid 
career that has defined Vincent's life. Beginning in 1958 at our 
Monticello Raceway, Vincent has always been a part of the harness 
racing family. His love and admiration for the sport, first gained as a 
youngster when he worked as a stable boy for the distinguished Harriman 
family of New York, has been consistently at a level above and beyond 
his colleagues, and helps to explain much of his accolades during his 
40-year tenure.
  A prominent leader from my Congressional district, Vincent was a 
Presiding Judge at The Goshen Historic Track for forty years until his 
retirement over a year ago. He truly was a pioneer in the harness 
racing industry and instrumental to the Goshen community in preserving 
tradition. Thirty-seven years ago, at a time when harness racing had 
hit a lull in interest, he instituted matinee racing at the Historic 
Track in an effort to provide young horses and amateur drivers the 
opportunity to gain worthwhile experience. His idea, practical and yet 
so perceptive in principle, became the blueprint for hundreds of other 
harness tracks across the country. With his help, harness racing has 
undergone a revival in public interest, an interest that can be 
directly tied to Judge Bergamo's vision of days past.
  Vincent's success in harness racing came early and often, where at 
the age of 23 at the Saratoga Harness Racing Track, he became the 
youngest Presiding Judge in the history of the establishment. He has 
gone on to serve as presiding judge at every track in New York State, 
including tracks in the states of Florida, Maryland, New Hampshire, and 
Pennsylvania. Accordingly, Vincent has been the recipient of numerous, 
well deserved harness racing awards, including: the United States 
Harness Writers Association (USHWA) Distinguished Service Award, the 
1991 National Amateur Lifetime Award, the 1992 President's Medal of 
Harness Racing, the 1993 Elected Trustee of the Harness Racing Hall of 
Fame and Museum, and the 1994 William Houghton Memorial Award. 
Additionally, in 1986, Vincent was recognized for his 25 years of 
service to the Goshen Historic Track with ``Bergamo Day''. He has been 
a longtime member of USHWA and was the founder of the C.K.G. Billings 
Series in 1971. Vincent has even served as a teacher for many years, 
giving back to the community in which he was raised.
  Still, no matter the heights to which Vincent has soared, his 
dignity, honesty, and responsibility remain at the core of his very 
essence. Always putting forth his best of efforts while being 
unwaveringly fair in his decisions, Vincent epitomizes the benefits of 
virtuosity. Wherever he has traveled and devoted himself as presiding 
judge, integrity abound.
  For many years, I have had the pleasure of knowing Vince as a friend, 
a man whose character I respect as much as his career. In every area of 
life to which Vincent has given his time and effort, be it his wife, 
his children or the track, his imprint of genuine love and honesty 
remains like a badge of honor. Vince was never the man to shy from his 
convictions. His directness and openness allows for not just quality 
officiating, but for better relationships. He is a family man who has 
raised 10 children, in each of whom Vince has instilled that same drive 
and work ethic. His wife, Marsha, and his late mother, Daisy, have been 
his support, providing strength and love when needed in his busy life.
  One need not look any further than his efforts toward the Goshen 
Historic Track to appreciate all that Vincent has done. The oldest 
existing sporting site in the entire United States, Goshen Historic 
Track was doomed for closure when the Harriman family renounced their 
ownership of the land many years ago. However, due to the dedicated 
work of Vince on a purely voluntary level, he managed to have the 
Goshen Track designated as an Historic Site in the National Register, 
and thereby preserved it for years to come under the Board of 
Directors' supervision. Today, the Goshen Historic Track operates as a 
non-profit organization that hosts non-pari-mutuel harness racing seven 
days each year while serving as a training facility year round. The 
Track's altruistic roots run so deep that wagering and gambling are 
explicitly forbidden at races. One cannot help to think this motto of 
``sport for sport's sake'' emanates directly from the legend of Vincent 
Bergamo and his positive influence on the sport.
  Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: ``Nature never rhymes her children, 
nor makes two men alike.'' Vincent Bergamo's lifelong accomplishments 
attest to that premise. This man's outstanding character is so unique 
and special that it is hard to imagine there being another like him. I 
know that my colleagues will want to join me in saluting a remarkable 
person in Vincent Bergamo at the twilight of his illustrious career. A 
man who has given so much to others, Vincent deserves our recognition 
and commendations.