[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24080]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 24080]]

                     A TRIBUTE TO JOHN J. BELLIZZI

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 5, 1999

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to share with our colleagues 
the remarkable life of an outstanding individual and good friend who 
has devoted his work to law enforcement and particularly to eradicating 
the impact of drugs in our society.
  John J. Bellizzi is being recognized this weekend for his 50 years of 
dedicated service to these causes, and especially to his 40 years of 
devotion to the International Narcotics Enforcement Officers 
Association (INEOA) which he founded in 1959 and for which he became 
its first President. Today, John continues to serve as Executive 
Director of INEOA and is even more dedicated to this cause than he was 
in the past.
  John previously retired from the position of Director of the New York 
State Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, having worked under six 
Governors. In that position, John earned the respect of all of us who 
had worked with him. I vividly recall during my tenure in the State 
Assembly the dedication John brought to his fledgling crusade against 
drugs.
  John Bellizzi is a product of the New York City school system, having 
graduated from Stuyvesant High School. He obtained his degree in 
pharmacy from St. John's University, and received an LL.B. from Albany 
Law School and his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Union University. John 
has also studied on the graduate level at New York University and at 
Fordham University.
  John was also a police officer with the New York City Police 
Department. In that capacity, he was assigned to some of the most 
critical neighborhoods in the city, including Harlem, Bedford-
Stuyvesant, and the south Bronx. During World War II, John was an 
undercover agent, investigating and reporting on some of the subversive 
organizations which were working against our nation.
  John utilized his unique background in both pharmacy and law 
enforcement to help spearhead the fight against illegal narcotics. He 
is the author of many articles on pharmacy, narcotics, and the law. He 
also served on the faculty of several schools, including Albany Medical 
School, the University of Southern California, and St. John's 
University.
  John Bellizzi served as a consultant on drug abuse to the White House 
and served on the Narcotics Commission of two successive Mayors of New 
York City--Robert F. Wagner, Jr., and John V. Lindsey. He also advised 
Mayor Sam Yorty of Los Angeles and Governor Jerry Brown of California 
as a member of their narcotics commissions.
  Mr. Speaker, the awards and recognitions John Bellizzi has received 
over the years are too numerous to fully enumerate here. Suffice to say 
that he was presented the Honor Legion Medal from the New York City 
Police Department, the Papal medal from Pope Paul VI in 1965; the very 
first Anslinger Award for combating international narcotics trafficking 
presented in 1979; and was honored by the Columbia Association of New 
York State Employees and the Italian Pharmaceutical Society of New York 
for distinguished service to the community by an American of Italian 
ancestry. John also was awarded a gold medal by the Daughters of the 
American Revolution.
  With all these honors, there is no doubt that John's pride and joy is 
his wife of 57 years, Celeste Morga, who has been his co-partner and 
confidant in all of his endeavors. They are the proud parents of two 
sons, John J., Jr., and Robert F.
  This weekend, the International Narcotic Enforcement Officers 
Association is conducting its 40th Annual Conference. A special awards 
ceremony will honor drug enforcement officers from throughout the 
world. A special program will spotlight the remarkable career of John 
J. Bellizzi and his achievements throughout the past half century.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite all of our colleagues to join with me in 
saluting John Belizzi, a champion of our war against drugs.

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