[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10911]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNIZING MR. JOSEPH E. HICSWA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 21, 2008

  Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, I would like to call to your attention 
the work of a man I am proud to represent in Congress, Mr. Joseph E. 
Hicswa. Mr. Hicswa is being recognized, with pride and gratitude, on 
Monday, on May 19, 2008, by the Passaic City Democratic Club for his 
exemplary work as a member of the Passaic City Democratic Club and 
County Committee.
  It is only fitting that he be honored in this, the permanent record 
of the greatest freely erected body on earth, for he has a long history 
of untiring effort in support of bettering his community through the 
Club and Committee.
  Joseph has always been a proud American, willing to do whatever was 
needed to defend and protect the freedoms and liberties that make this 
country so grand. He answered the call to serve our nation during World 
War II and did so nobly.
  Joseph is a lifelong Democrat, who was introduced to the ideals of 
the party by his parents. As his mother and father taught him, the 
guiding principle of the Democratic Party is to help others who have 
less than you do, and to improve the quality of life for all Americans. 
He was drawn to support the party of his parents because of what it 
strove to accomplish.
  It was Joseph's deep respect for the importance of civic involvement 
that led him to serve in an official capacity. When he went into the 
voting booth for the June 1988 primary election, he noticed that there 
was a blank space on the ballot. No one was running for the position of 
Male Democratic Committeeman in his district. He was disturbed by the 
fact that there was a job to be done for the party he believed in that 
was to go unfilled. He wrote his name in, won the election with that 
one vote, and has held the seat ever since, even winning against 
opponents in some of the races.
  Once he became part of the Passaic Democratic Organization, as well 
as the Passaic City Democratic Club, his hard work and dedication led 
him to be appointed and elected to various leadership positions. He 
served a number of terms as the Sergeant-at-Arms. He has served as the 
Publicity Chairman and Program Coordinator since 1991. He served as 
Corresponding Secretary of the Club from 1997 to 2001, and as the 
Treasurer of the Passaic City Democratic Committee from 1992 to 1994. 
He has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Club since 
2002.
  Joseph is also an accomplished letter writer. He makes sure that his 
voice and the voices of Passaic's Democrats are heard. He writes 
regularly to local, state and federal officials throughout the area as 
well as newspapers. He also expands his communications outside the 
area, to world leaders like the Secretary General of the United 
Nations, Ambassadors, and foreign heads of state.
  The job of a United States Congressman involves much that is 
rewarding, yet nothing compares to learning about and recognizing the 
efforts of individuals like Joseph E. Hicswa.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that you join our colleagues, everyone 
associated with the Passaic City Democratic Club, all those whose lives 
have been touched by his work and his friendship, and me in recognizing 
the outstanding and invaluable achievements of Mr. Joseph E. Hicswa.

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