[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2865]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING RETIRED NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLYMAN RICHARD J. KEANE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRIAN HIGGINS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 7, 2006

  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, it gives me a tremendous sense of pleasure 
to honor the personal accomplishments and the long career in public 
service of a great elected leader and wonderful friend, former New York 
State Assemblyman Richard J. Keane.
  Dick Keane is, as I said, a close friend of long standing. In point 
of fact, I succeeded Dick Keane as a member of the New York State 
Assembly in the 145th District. In all truthfulness I can say that no 
new member had a better mentor than I did.
  Like me, Dick Keane is a lifelong--and tremendously proud--resident 
of South Buffalo, New York. A product of a large and politically 
prominent family in South Buffalo, Dick's career began protecting the 
public as a Buffalo Firefighter. From there, Dick went on to serve on 
the Erie County Board of Supervisors and was the first Democrat to 
serve as Chairman of its successor body, the Erie County Legislature. 
Dick was elected to a vacant seat in the State Assembly in 1976, and 
served in that seat proudly for 22 years.
  But in Albany, Dick had two official duties that brought him great 
joy--his management of the Assembly's baseball team, and the Presidency 
of the American Irish Legislators Society of New York State, the latter 
being an organization in which I would later serve as Historian.
  Each year, the American Irish Legislators Society of New York State 
honors one of its own, a former member of the State Legislature who 
made a significant contribution both to public service and, usually, to 
the Society itself. On Monday, March 13th, in Albany, NY, Dick Keane 
will be the Society's 2006 honoree. That that event, it will be my 
distinct honor to present Dick with a commemorative copy of these 
remarks and to join with my successor in the State Assembly, 
Assemblyman Mark Schroeder, in honoring Dick Keane's service to New 
York State and to his community.
  Mr. Speaker, owing to my past service as Historian, I want to close 
with a bit of history. Ireland provided to the United States a number 
of wonderful gifts, but none more valuable than its people. Since the 
first days of landing on American soil, the Irish people have 
demonstrated a commitment to public service that is unrivalled by any 
other ethnic group. From police and fire service to elective office, 
Irish Americans represent what is best about America--that if you work 
hard, play by the rules, love your family and your community and give 
as much as you can back to that community, the vaunted American Dream 
can be yours.
  Dick Keane is a public official and a private citizen utterly worthy 
of that description and of the respect of those whose lives he made 
better for that service. It is my distinct honor to recognize him here 
today.

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