[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 28762]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   ED AND MARILYN FITZGERALD: HONORING LIFETIMES OF COMMUNITY SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JANE HARMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 30, 2007

  Ms. HARMAN. Madam Speaker, during my years in public office, I have 
had the pleasure of meeting and working with many extraordinary 
constituents committed to a seemingly endless array of good works and 
causes. None has served their community more ably and admirably than my 
dear friends Ed and Marilyn Fitzgerald, recent recipients of the 
prestigious YMCA ``Good Neighbor'' Award. The Fitzgerald's volunteerism 
and decades-long service to the needy, to members of the Armed Forces 
and area veterans, and to the communities of Lomita, Wilmington, and 
San Pedro--all located in my Congressional District--make them richly 
deserving of this recognition.
  I first met them years ago when their daughter Sharon applied to the 
Air Force Academy. Sharon received my top recommendation, and attained 
the rank of Captain before leaving active-duty to be a full-time 
mother. To this day, Ed and Marilyn are members of my Academy 
Nominating Committee.
  Although technically retired, Ed and Marilyn have never stopped 
working, and probably log more volunteer hours than most people put in 
at the office. Whether it is teaching children to read at Taper Avenue 
School, or distributing food and clothing to the homeless at Beacon 
Light Mission, the Fitzgeralds do not waver in their efforts to help 
those less fortunate. Not content to help only with the basics, the 
couple also organizes movie and museum excursions for kids, whale 
watching trips, and other activities inner-city kids might not have a 
chance to experience.
  The active military and veterans' communities in Los Angeles County--
among the Nation's largest--have also benefited from the Fitzgerald's 
advocacy. Both volunteer at the Long Beach Veterans Hospital, 
transporting immobile veterans to and from doctor's appointments, and 
both devote hours of their time to helping the many veterans, including 
homeless veterans, in the Harbor Area. They reach beyond helping their 
neighbors by raising awareness nationally on behalf of America's POWs 
and MIAs.
  And I only recently learned of Marilyn and Ed's fundraising campaign 
to gather and ship audio-video equipment to our troops in Iraq. 
Separation during wartime can severely affect morale--a problem the 
Fitzgeralds believe our soldiers and their families should not have to 
endure. With Sharon's husband serving in Iraq, this tireless twosome is 
even working on a better way to correspond with family members 
stationed overseas.
  Madam Speaker, other communities have selfless people like Marilyn 
and Ed. But I am grateful to them every time we meet. They are true 
patriots.

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