[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 8112-8113]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING THE PASSING OF PHIL LELLI

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. NORMAN D. DICKS

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 29, 2004

  Mr. DICKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the passing of Phil 
Lelli, a good friend of mine and a great leader of the International 
Longshore and Warehouse Union from Tacoma, Washington.
  Philip M. Lelli was a born longshoreman; he began his career on the 
Tacoma, Washington waterfront in 1949 and retired in 1993. He was 
President of the Tacoma Longshore Union Local 23 from 1966 to 1993, and 
I recall quite well the advice and counsel he freely gave to me and to 
other political leaders throughout his tenure of Union leadership. 
Afterward, he remained deeply engaged in community affairs in the Puget 
Sound area, serving as a Port of Tacoma Commissioner and the Harry 
Bridges History Chair Trustee at the University of Washington.
  Today in the House of Representatives, I would like to express my 
sincere wishes of sympathy to the Lelli Family, Mr. Speaker, and to 
extend my thanks and the appreciation of a grateful community for the 
many contributions that Phil has made. I would also like to include in 
the Record the notice that was printed in today's News Tribune 
newspaper from Tacoma, Washington.

                 [From the News Tribune, Apr. 28, 2004]

                           (By Philip Lelli)

                             Hangs His Hook

       Longshore leader Philip Martin Lelli was born December 4, 
     1929, in Edgewood and passed away April 25, 2004, in 
     Puyallup. He was the son of Martin and Mary (Baller) Lelli 
     and attended Fife schools and Pacific Lutheran University. He 
     married Joanne Williams April 18, 1953, in Fife. Phil and 
     Joanne were the proud parents of five sons: Jay (Judith E. 
     Peterson), Marty, Dean (Susan), Vance (Kimberlie) and Ross, 
     and grandparents of Janelle, Jayson A. (Jennifer), Paula, 
     Rori, Scott, Mathew, and Marina. There are three great-
     grandchildren, MacKenzie, Kailee and Ryan. Also surviving is 
     his brother Tom (Phyllis) Lelli. One son, Ross, and a sister, 
     Jeanne Retallick, preceded him.
       Phil Lelli was a dominant figure on the Tacoma waterfront 
     from the moment he lifted his first 180-pound sack of wheat 
     in 1949 until he retired as a gearman in 1993. He was a born 
     longshoreman: a practical physicist who could come up with 
     the most effective method of moving any size or weight of 
     cargo; a leader of men in times of great technological 
     change; and a stalwart ally who won hundreds of friends in 
     ports all over the world.
       His mentor was T. A. ``Tiny'' Thronson, a veteran of the 
     Great Strike of 1934. Thronson's advice, ``Do a hard day's 
     work and you'll get rewarded with more opportunity,'' was 
     Phil's guiding principle as President of Tacoma Longshore 
     Union 23 from 1966 until 1983. He never abandoned his belief 
     that port-union cooperation would result in a Golden Age. He 
     teamed with Port Executive Director E. L. Roy Perry, Union 
     Business Agent George Ginnis, and Port Commissioner Robert 
     Earley to raise Tacoma from a backwater log port to become 
     the fifth largest container port in North America.
       During his 55 years on the waterfront, Phil served as Port 
     of Tacoma commissioner, Propeller Club president, Tacoma 
     Longshore pension club president, and University of 
     Washington Harry Bridges History Chair trustee. The Propeller 
     Club awarded Philip its highest honor, Master Mariner, in 
     1982. The Harry Bridges Chair designated him its 
     Distinguished Supporter in 2003.
       After Phil and Joanne's youngest son died in a waterfront 
     accident in 1989, the Propeller Club created the Ross E. 
     Lelli Memorial Scholarship Fund.
       Phil Lelli learned the meaning of community service from 
     his father, Martin, who taught his son to care for other 
     people, especially the poor. In the 1980s Phil and Father 
     William Bischel S.J. organized the Hospitality Kitchen to 
     serve hot lunches to the Tacoma homeless. Phil rescued a 
     stove from the old Knights of Pythias Temple. Longshore 
     workers trucked the stove to the Kitchen, took out a wall, 
     installed the stove, and rebuilt the wall. The longshore 
     union continues its support of the Kitchen, which serves 450 
     meals a day.
       Visitation will be from 8 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Saturday, May 1 
     (International Workers Day), followed by the Funeral Mass at 
     10:00 a.m. at St. Andrews Catholic Church, 1401 Valley Ave., 
     Sumner. Rosary services will be at 7 p.m. Friday at St. 
     Martin of Tours Church 2303-54th Avenue East, Fife. Graveside 
     services will be at Gethsemane Cemetery, 37600 Pacific 
     Highway, at noon May 1.

[[Page 8113]]

     The Longshore Union will honor brother Phil with an open 
     house from 1 to 4 p.m. There is an online guest book at 
     www.mountainviewtacoma.com
       Arrangements are by Mountain View Funeral Home, 253-564-
     0252. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in the name 
     of Philip Lelli to the Ross E. Lelli Memorial Scholarship, PO 
     Box 453, Tacoma, WA 98401, or the Hospitality Kitchen, 1323 
     S. Yakima Ave., Tacoma, WA 98405.

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