[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17442]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      A TRIBUTE TO JOHN SPODOFORA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM SAXTON

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 7, 2000

  Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to a great 
environmentalist, a dedicated citizen, and a good friend.
  John Spodofora has been a member of the Stafford Township Council 
since 1988, serving as the esteemed Chairman of the Environmental 
Commission. Under his leadership, Stafford Township has become the most 
recognized areas in our country for its environmental efforts. No doubt 
this is due in great part to the tremendous contributions John has made 
to help ensure Stafford Township is kept environmentally sound.
  On many occasions, John's efforts have resulted in prestigious awards 
for his community. For eleven consecutive years, Stafford Township has 
received the ``National Tree City USA Award'' from the National Arbor 
Day Foundation. In fact, Stafford County also received the ``National 
Arbor Day Foundation Growth Award'', which is the highest designation a 
Tree City can achieve. The Township was a recipient of this award for 
nine consecutive years. No other community in the United States has won 
this award more than Stafford Township,
  Other awards Stafford Township has received under John Spodofora's 
leadership include the ``Association of New Jersey Environmental 
Commission's First Place Envirom-nental Achievement Award'' (1987-
1991), the ``National Groundwater Guardian Award'' (1994-2000), the 
``New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Conservation 
Award'' (1993-1994), the ``National Arbor Day Foundation Special Merit 
Award'' (2000), the ``National Renew America Conservation Award'' 
(1991-1995), First Place ``Quality New Jersey Award'' for improvements 
to beach and water quality (1992), NJDEP First Place ``Green Community 
Achievement Award'' (1994), National ``Take Pride in America Aware'' 
(1994), Environmental Protection Agency's ``First Place National Award 
of Excellence'' (1994), and the NJDEP ``New Jersey Environmental 
Excellence Award'' for clean and plentiful water (2000).
  On many occasions, John has been personally recognized for his 
environmental innovations and efforts towards making the Stafford 
community a better one. In fact, one of my proudest moments was 
nominating John for the ``National Theodore Roosevelt Conservation 
Award'' back in 1990. President George Bush presented this award to 
John during a special ceremony at the White House.
  Throughout my time in public office, few people have impressed me 
more than John. His dedication to the preservation of our natural 
habitat is unmatched. In many ways, John's efforts have made Stafford 
Township a better place to live today.
  Even more importantly, his environmental contributions will have a 
lasting impact on this community for years to come. Future generations 
will be surrounded by a beautiful and bountiful natural habitat thanks 
to John. He has blessed us with the gift of a healthy and safe 
environment that our children and grandchildren will enjoy for many, 
many years.
  I strongly commend John for all he has done for Stafford Township and 
am honored to pay him tribute.

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