[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16202-16203]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         MONMOUTH COUNTY'S BEN DANSKIN CELEBRATES 80TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 14, 2005

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my best 
and warmest wishes to a good friend and constituent, Mr. Benjamin H. 
Danskin, who today celebrates his 80th birthday.
  Ben Danskin has been a key figure in government service, public 
advocacy and business development in Monmouth County, New Jersey for 
more than 50 years. He is respected, admired and well-liked by 
colleagues, associates and former political rivals. His family and 
close friends are inspired by his wit, good nature, character, charisma 
and kindness.
  Born and raised in Spring Lake, New Jersey, Ben and his older 
brother, Clyde, learned the importance of public service through their 
father's example. Their father, Benjamin S. Danskin, was a realtor with 
Horatio Clayton Real Estate and Insurance, which he later bought and 
named the Danskin Agency. Successful in business, Benjamin S. Danskin 
also succeeded in the public arena. He served as the Secretary of the 
State Division of Tax Appeals, president of the New Jersey Association 
of Tax Commissioners, and Deputy Director of Taxation, assisting in the 
creation of the state tax equalization program. Government service 
would become a family trait.
  In September 1943, young Ben Danskin joined the Army as a lieutenant 
and began training to become a B-25 bomber pilot. When World War II 
ended, Ben enrolled in the Dickinson College to pursue a degree in 
political science. He graduated in 1949 and moved back to Wall Township 
with his wife, Betty Joan Slockbower, who had been his high school 
sweetheart. In April of this year, Ben and Joan celebrated their 58th 
wedding anniversary--and they are the proud parents of three loving 
daughters: Cathy, Nancy, and Barbara.
  Upon his return from the war, Ben immediately invested himself in his 
community and embarked upon a life-long commitment to distinguished 
public service. He joined his father at the Danskin Agency and was 
elected to the Wall Township Committee. At the age of 27, Ben was 
appointed as the mayor of Wall Township, the youngest mayor in township 
history. In 1963, Ben Danskin was elected as a Monmouth County 
Freeholder and he served as such until 1969 when he was elected to a 5-
year term as the Monmouth County Clerk. He was appointed to his first 
three-year term as Monmouth County treasurer in 1974. He was 
reappointed in 1977, replaced by a Democratic freeholder majority in 
1980, but reappointed to the treasurer's post in 1983, once the GOP 
regained the majority on the board. Just last December 2004, Ben 
Danskin stepped down from the position of Monmouth County treasurer 
after 21 years of consecutive service.
  From 1969 to 1982, Ben Danskin led the Monmouth County Republican 
Committee as

[[Page 16203]]

its chairman. He has remained influential in the party throughout his 
illustrious career. A genuine leader, Ben Danskin has helped launch 
critical county initiatives and shape public policy through thoughtful, 
substantive persuasion. He continues to be sought out for his wise 
counsel and advice.
  Though he would not like it discussed, there are lasting tributes to 
Ben Danskin's hard work and public service. He is credited with a 
leading role in the establishment of Brookdale Community College, the 
creation of the Monmouth County Correctional Institution, and the 
expansion of the Monmouth County park system, just to name a few. Ten 
of thousands of Monmouth residents continue to benefit from the 
programs Ben Danskin helped conceive and nurture during his years of 
public service.
  On the business side, Ben counts his co-founding of Allaire Community 
Bank in 1996 as one of his most successful endeavors. The bank thrived 
and was recently bought out by Central Jersey Bank.
  Ben Danskin's public career is admirable not only for its 
demonstration of commitment and longevity but more so for the impact he 
has had on so many positive initiatives for the people of Monmouth 
County. Happy 80th Birthday, Ben Danskin. On behalf of our mutual 
friends and constituents, I offer our deepest gratitude for your years 
of dedicated service and commitment to the public good.

                          ____________________