[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 22]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 30979-30980]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING SAMUEL HUNTINGTON AND BILL STANLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ROB SIMMONS

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 21, 2003

  Mr. SIMMONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize two individuals 
who are genuine Connecticut treasures--Samuel Huntington and Bill 
Stanley.
  On Monday I will attend a ceremony to re-intern Samuel Huntington. 
Mr. Huntington will be laid to rest in Norwich, Connecticut, a 
community in the Second District, which I am proud to represent.
  Samuel Huntington was born in Windham, Connecticut on July 2, 1732. 
He did not have the benefit of a formal public education as he was the 
eldest son and his father needed him to help work the family farm. 
Possessing a fine mind, when he was finished with his farm

[[Page 30980]]

chores he devoted himself to reading. Mr. Huntington enjoyed studying 
the law and when he turned 22 he left the farm to pursue his interest. 
Unable to afford a formal legal education, he studied on his own. The 
library of an attorney in a neighboring town provided him with access 
to the necessary books--his own determination accomplished the rest.
  He did well. In 1774, he became an associate judge in the superior 
court. Mr. Huntington was among those who early on spoke against 
British tyranny. In October 1775, his wisdom and patriotism earned him 
an appointment by the Connecticut General Assembly to represent the 
colony in the Continental Congress.
  In the July 1776 Mr. Huntington joined his colleagues in voting for 
the Declaration of Independence. In 1779, Mr. Huntington served as 
president of the Congress. As such, some say he was the first President 
of the United States. He remained a member of that honorable body until 
1781, when ill health forced him to retire. Samuel Huntington died on 
January 5, 1796.
  Recently the Norwich Historical Society embarked on a campaign to 
renovate the tomb of Mr. Huntington and his wife. Over time the tomb 
had decayed and was in danger of collapse. Our Founding Fathers deserve 
more, and the leaders of Norwich have responded.
  The second individual I recognize is President of the Norwich 
Historical Society, William Stanley. He is also one of Connecticut's 
treasures. Bill organized the effort to renovate the tomb and I was 
very pleased when he called me for support. Bill is a good man and a 
good friend.
  For five decades Bill Stanley has dedicated himself to public 
service. His resume shows an individual who has a profound devotion to 
his community and has worked to make it a better place in which to 
live, work and raise a family.
  In 1963, Bill was chairman of the Norwich Flood Rehabilitation Drive 
and from 1966 to 1970 he was a state senator, representing the 19th 
District. Over the decades he has served as chairman of the Eastern 
Connecticut District of the American Cancer Society; led Eastern 
Connecticut Recruitment for the Boy Scouts of America; been treasurer 
of the Norwich Industrial Park Association; served as director of the 
William W. Backus Hospital, and has been vice chairman of the 
Southeastern Connecticut Water Authority.
  Motivated by a desire to improve the lives of our senior citizens, 
Bill became the founder, treasurer and president of St. Jude Common, a 
non-profit elderly housing facility in Norwich. St. Jude's provides 
high quality housing. Bill has also dedicated his time to Norwich Free 
Academy and served as Chairman of the Norwich Charter Revision 
Commission.
  Bill's public service has not gone unnoticed. He is the 1995 
recipient of Norwich Rotary's Outstanding Citizen Award and in 1991 the 
Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce named him Norwich's Citizen of 
the Year. Bill is the unofficial Norwich historian, having published 
several books chronicling the city's past. His ``Once Upon a Time'' 
column has appeared in both the New London Day and the Norwich 
Bulletin.
  These are merely a few of the public citations from Bill's years of 
service. They do not include the many times Bill quietly helped people 
by making a phone call or offering good advice. Bill served in the 
Marine Corps. He is a Korean War veteran.
  I am proud that I was able to be of some assistance to Bill Stanley 
in ensuring one of our nation's Founding Fathers received the honor and 
respect he deserves as America's first president.

                          ____________________