[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 19278-19279]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    A TRIBUTE TO PATRICK J. MELLODY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 22, 2003

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, this country has lost a great citizen. I 
rise today to pay tribute to an exceptional constituent of mine and the 
life he led by example. Nearly a year ago my very good friend, Attorney 
Patrick J. Mellody, passed away on August 29, 2002. He is deeply missed 
by his family and the entire community of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
  A native of Scranton, he served his nation in the U.S. Army as a 1st 
Lieutenant. He married the former Patricia Lynch and raised five 
children: Patrick, Kathleen, Mara, Stephen, and Meredith.
  An outstanding attorney, Pat often represented injured workers before 
me when I was an Administrative Law Judge for the state's worker's 
compensation fund. I quickly came to appreciate not only his excellent 
legal skills, but also his compassion. It was this natural empathy and 
desire to help others that drove Pat. He served as a trusted advisor 
and counselor to each of his clients.
  The son of a Lackawanna county commissioner, Pat learned the 
importance of public service at an early age. He served as a hearing 
examiner for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board for over sixteen 
years. He was also active in numerous community organizations, from the 
Boy Scouts of America to the American Heart Association, but it was his 
dedicated service to the Democratic Party for which he will be best 
remembered.
  Never a candidate himself, Pat tirelessly supported Democratic 
candidates and developed the Lackawanna County Democratic Party into a 
source of strength and significance in local, state, and national 
elections.
  Pat served as chairman of the Lackawanna County Democratic Committee 
from 1984 to 2002, the longest any individual has held the position. In 
1989, a local political columnist wrote about Pat's great character, 
which showed through when he appeared on a local radio station's 
political show with his Republican counterpart. ``The listeners were 
struck by the civility and friendliness that dominated the program. 
Hey, the listeners reasoned, Democrats and Republicans can get along 
together, particularly if they're high-class gents. Listeners got a 
lesson in modern day political science--it is not necessary to 
downgrade the opponent. You can be nice to him, and vice versa.''
  An article in the Scranton Times on September 7, 2002 Mellody was the 
glue keeping party together, Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Leader 
Robert T. Mellow, a great friend of Pat's for forty years was quoted as 
saying, ``He brought to the party very great leadership,

[[Page 19279]]

absolutely no selfishness, no agenda.'' ``He was a very open individual 
with no personal agenda except to make sure the Democratic Party . . . 
would be successful.''
  At the Lackawanna Bar Association's memorial, Attorney Sal Cognetti 
described, ``Pat as a cheerful, helpful, generous man who everyday 
aided and touched other human beings by and through his counsel and 
knowledge. His compassion made him care about the less fortunate. The 
strength of his personality and his unyielding dedication to good and 
equal government for all kept a diverse group of individuals united 
under the umbrella of the Democratic Party.''
  Mr. Speaker, I insert in my remarks at this point the complete text 
of Pat's obituary.

           [From the Scranton Times Tribune, August 31, 2002]

                      Attorney Patrick J. Mellody

       Attorney Patrick J. Mellody, 59, of the Green Ridge section 
     of Scranton, died Thursday evening at home. His wife is the 
     former Patricia Lynch.
       Born in Scranton, son of Rita Lestrange Mellody, Scranton, 
     and the late Lackawanna County Commissioner Patrick J. 
     Mellody, he was a 1962 graduate of St. Paul's High School. He 
     earned his bachelor of science degree from the University of 
     Scranton in 1966 and his juris doctor from Columbus School of 
     Law at Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., in 
     1974. He received American Jurisprudence Awards for academic 
     excellence.
       Attorney Mellody maintained a practice in Scranton since 
     1974. He was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of 
     Pennsylvania, the U.S. District Court for the Middle District 
     of Pennsylvania, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third 
     Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.
       Attorney Mellody had served as chairman of the Lackawanna 
     County Democratic Committee since 1984. He was also a member 
     of the executive committee of the Pennsylvania State 
     Democratic Committee and was elected delegate to the 1984, 
     1996 and 2000 Democratic National Conventions. A graduate of 
     Officer Candidate School, he served as a 1st lieutenant in 
     the Army from 1966 to 1969.
       He was a member of numerous civic, educational, 
     professional and business associations, including serving as 
     chairman of the Keystone Chapter of the American Heart 
     Association and on the board of directors of the Pennsylvania 
     State Affiliate of the American Heart Association. He served 
     on the executive committee of the Friendly Sons of St. 
     Patrick and as vice president and a member of the executive 
     board of the Forest Lakes Council, Boy Scouts of America. An 
     Eagle Scout, he was a member of the Eagle Scout Association 
     of the Boy Scouts of America.
       He was a member of St. Clare's Church, Scranton; the 
     advisory board of directors of the Green Ridge branch of Penn 
     Security Bank and Trust Co., Scranton; the Irish-American 
     Men's Association, the Sierra Club, the Knights of Columbus 
     Council 280, Scranton; the Green Ridge Business Association, 
     St. Paul's Booster Club and the executive board of the 
     Italian-American Democratic League.
       Surviving in addition to his widow and mother are three 
     daughters, Kathleen, Arlington, Va., and Mara and Meredith; 
     both of Scranton; two sons, Patrick, Scranton, and Stephen, 
     Arlington, Va.; a sister, Mary Horan, Pleasant Valley, N.Y.; 
     two brothers, Charles Mellody, Bethesda, Md., and Jerome 
     Mellody, Rockville, Md.; and several nieces and nephews.
       He was also preceded in death by a brother, James Francis 
     Mellody, who died in 1989.

  Mr. Speaker, Pat Mellody's integrity, industriousness, and devotion 
to his family and community mark him as an extraordinary man. May his 
life be an inspiration to us all.

                          ____________________