[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12014]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




STATEMENT COMMEMORATING THE PASSING OF AMVETS FOUNDING MEMBER ALBERT C. 
                                GEREMIA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES R. LANGEVIN

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 26, 2002

  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I was saddened to learn of the recent 
passing of a former constituent of Rhode Island's Second District, 
Albert C. Geremia, native and long-time resident of the City of 
Providence. Mr. Geremia passed away on June 4th at Hickory House 
Nursing Home in Honeybrook, Pennsylvania. Mr. Geremia was a Navy 
veteran of World War II and had a long and distinguished career in 
management for two Providence firms. As a Navy veteran, Mr. Geremia was 
a founding member of the Congressionally-chartered veterans service 
organization, AMVETS, of which Mr. Geremia was the last surviving 
founder.
  Mr. Geremia was one of eighteen individuals who began AMVETS. He 
worked to secure its Congressional charter and to establish an office 
in Washington, DC. For his efforts, AMVETS awarded him the 
organization's ``Ray Sawyer Award'' at their 1952 National Convention. 
Since its founding in 1944 in Kansas City, AMVETS has worked tirelessly 
on behalf of America's veterans and the community at large. Veterans 
across the nation owe men like Albert Geremia a debt of gratitude for 
all they have done to keep and protect those benefits promised to our 
veterans.
  Our nation can never have too many men the caliber of Albert Geremia. 
By helping to found AMVETS, he strove for something larger than 
himself. A man should not be remembered for the wealth and possessions 
he earned in life, but rather, for what sort of man he was and what he 
did to make the world a better place.
  Mr. Geremia is survived by his wife, Anne, a daughter, Linda, and 
son, Paul. I offer them my deepest condolences at this time of great 
loss, and I hope they will take great comfort in knowing how fondly 
Albert will be remembered by those whose lives he touched.

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