[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21931]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     A TRIBUTE TO THE SEPTEMBER 11 FAMILIES OF THE 5TH DISTRICT OF 
                             MASSACHUSETTS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARTIN T. MEEHAN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 11, 2003

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 31 people 
from my district who died in the September 11 attacks. Captain John 
Ogonowski was the pilot of American Flight 11. John was a Vietnam 
veteran and a member of the American Legion and the Dracut Grange. He 
was a pilot, and he also was a fourth-generation farmer. I'd like to 
express my appreciation that the 2002 Agriculture Appropriations 
Conference Report was renamed the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 
(USDA) Farmer-to-Farmer Program after Captain John Ogonowski. John left 
a wife, Peggy, and three daughters, whom I have come to know and admire 
over the last two years for their courage and determination in the face 
of devastating loss. Their strength and commitment to John's legacy 
will ensure that his memory never dies.
  As Captain Ogonowski was one of the first victims, David Bernard of 
Chelmsford was the last. Dave was struck with falling debris as he 
walked into the World Trade Center. He was one of the first people 
rushed to New York hospitals and fought for his life for over 3 months, 
until December of 2001. He is survived by his wife Nancy; his sons, 
David and Mark; and his daughter, Jill. If you have a chance to see it, 
the IRS--where David worked--has a beautiful stone memorial on 
Constitution Avenue, just a few blocks from here.
  Patrick Quigley often took American Flight 11 to California. 
Concerned once the news that American Flight 11 had hit the World Trade 
Center, his wife Patti, called his office. She was relieved when they 
said they were sure he was fine, that he had decided to take United 
Flight 175 instead. Patrick was on United Flight 175, and at the time, 
Patti Quigley was seven months pregnant. His daughter Leah will 
celebrate her 2nd birthday in a few months. Patti, who is a tremendous 
source of strength for her friends and family, has joined with other 
widows from September 11th to start a non-profit agency called Beyond 
the 11th. Next year, we will all know much more about her work, as she 
begins to work with victims of terrorism and the war in Afghanistan.
  I want to tell you all about Larissa Gay, a young woman from 
Tewksbury, who lost her dad, Peter, a senior trouble shooter for 
Raytheon. Larissa maintains an A+ average at the Sacred Heart School in 
Lowell. Larissa ran the 7 mile Falmouth Road Race in honor of her 
father. What an incredible way to show strength and tackle adversity.
  There's a story behind every victim of the September 11 attacks. In 
the last 2 years, I have had the privilege to get to know many of the 
families left behind. I'd like to now pay tribute and honor all of 
them, with a reading of each of their names.
  Trudi Alagero, an Andover native; David Bernard of Chelmsford; 
Geoffrey Cloud of Sudbury; Andrew Curry Green of Chelmsford; Alexander 
Filipov of Concord; Peter Gay of Tewksbury; Peter Goodrich of Sudbury; 
Douglas Gowell of Methuen; The Hanson Family--Peter, Susan & Christine 
Hanson, age 3, of Groton; Peter Hashem of Tewksbury; James Hayden of 
Westford; Cora Holland of Sudbury; Brian Kinney of Lowell; Susan MacKay 
of Westford; Louis Mariani, formerly of Dracut; Christopher Morrison of 
Andover; Mildred ``Milly'' Naiman of Andover; Captain John Ogonowski of 
Dracut, Pilot of American Flight 11; Betty Ong of Andover, Flight 
Attendant of American Airlines Flight 11; Jane Orth of Haverhill; Abner 
Morales Pabon of Lawrence; Marie Pappalardo of Methuen; Patrick Quigley 
of Wellesley, a Methuen native; Philip Rosenzweig of Acton; Jessica 
Sachs of Billerica; Jane Simpkin of Wayland; Madeline ``Amy'' Sweeney 
of Acton, Flight Attendant of American Airlines Flight 11; Leonard 
Taylor, an Andover native; Kenneth Waldie of Methuen.
  As Americans we can't help but remember. But unlike the families who 
have experienced this loss first hand, we grieve for a moment, not for 
a lifetime. These families have suffered the ultimate loss, and we owe 
them our most heartfelt sympathies and support.

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