[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 22756-22757]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO TONY AUTORE IN RECOGNITION OF FOUR DECADES OF EXEMPLARY 
                           COMMUNITY SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 23, 2003

  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the dedication and 
achievements of a constituent of mine who is a true asset to his 
community, Tony Autore.
  On Friday, September 26, 2003, the Chippewa-Luce-Mackinac Community 
Action Agency Head Start Program Center in Cedarville, Michigan will be 
designated the Autore Center, in recognition of Tony's many years of 
devotion to the important work of that agency.
  To understand Tony's deep roots in the eastern Upper Peninsula of 
Michigan, you have to go back to the beginning, when Tony was born in 
Sault Ste. Marie and went through Catholic elementary school and public 
high school there. He married Ethel Duff in 1949, and over the years 
they have been blessed with three sons, two daughters and seven 
grandchildren. Tony also served in the U.S. Army from 1952 through 
1954.
  Before entering military service, Tony began his career as an 
employee of the local branch of Standard Oil Company. After coming home 
from the Army, Tony moved to Cedarville, Michigan and with Ethel 
purchased Standard Oil's delivery route for oil and propane for the 
Cedarville/Hessel area. Moving to Cedarville, where they still reside, 
they began developing the community and business relationships that 
continue today as a testament to their place in the community.
  Tony and Ethel both devoted themselves to building a reputation for 
customer service that survives today. One of their first innovations 
was automatic delivery of propane fuel and oil for their customers, to 
avoid the problem of customers running out of heating and cooking fuel 
because they forgot to order it. That may sound academic today, but it 
was a new idea at the time Autore Oil began the program. The business 
today represents a family tradition of customer service, with children 
Beth McConkey and Steve and Scott Autore active in the business. Even 
though Ethel is supposed to be retired, you will often find her at the 
Autore Oil offices as well, providing her indispensable assistance.
  Tony began his community service early, and it would be hard to find 
another person who has contributed more to Cedarville, the eastern 
Upper Peninsula and to Michigan. He established Cedarville Boy Scout 
Troop 40 and served on the board of the Les Cheneaux Education 
Foundation which helped students to pursue extracurricular interests in 
the arts, music, woodworking or other activities that kept them 
motivated, learning and moving forward educationally.
  Tony has served on the Mackinac County Planning Commission, the 
Mackinac County Housing Commission, and Mackinac County Economic 
Development Corporation. He is a member and past president of the 
Cedarville Lions Club. He belongs to the Knights of Columbus, the 
Christopher Columbus Association and served with the Clark Township 
Volunteer Fire Department. As a member of the Les Cheneaux Chamber of 
Commerce, Tony was instrumental in hosting Michigan Outdoor Writers 
winter and summer conventions that brought the attention of far flung 
readers to the eastern Upper Peninsula's attractions.
  Perhaps Tony's crowning achievement is what he has done to foster the 
health and growth of the Chippewa-Luce-Mackinac Community Action 
Agency, headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie. Tony served on its board of 
directors for 18 years and has been treasurer of the board since 1989. 
He has always been willing to step in when needed, most recently as 
Vice Chair when that position was temporarily vacant.
  The best example of Tony's hands-on, `can-do' attitude is how he 
helped start a food commodity delivery program for the C-L-M Community 
Action Agency. His trucks and drivers traveled three counties for at 
least seven years to deliver food through the federal TSAP program to 
as many as twenty different distribution sites, free of charge, until 
funding came through for a paid driver and vehicle. He assisted the 
Agency in developing the Head Start Center which will bear his name 
after September 26th. Because of his work in the community, he was able 
to secure the use of the Cedarville Town Hall for senior meals, where 
they still are served today.
  Over the years, the Community Action Director and staff have come to 
rely not just on Tony's capacity for hard work, but also on his sage 
counsel and advice--not a small benefit for an agency with a five and a 
half million annual budget.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my colleagues join me in giving a 
well-deserved and heartfelt round of congratulations to a real 
Michigander, a devoted family man and a shining example of service to 
his community, which needless to say, contains many friends and 
admirers of Tony Autore.

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