[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16811]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO POLICE CHIEF WILLIAM ``BILLY'' WEBBER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 26, 2009

  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I proudly rise today to pay tribute to 
William ``Billy'' Webber, a revered Chief of Police of the Town of 
Southborough, Massachusetts, who died too early at the age of 53 on 
November 11, 2008 after a courageous 18 month battle with pancreatic 
cancer.
  Earlier this week, family members, friends and colleagues held a golf 
tournament in honor of Chief Webber--``dedicated to his memory, to his 
kind heart and to the courage he has given all of us to rise above the 
sorrow.'' All proceeds from the event went to the Dana Farber Cancer 
Institute in Boston to support research efforts to fight the dreaded 
disease that claimed his life.
  The son of proud parents, Harry and Claire Webber, Bill Webber grew 
up in Milford, Massachusetts and joined the Police Department in nearby 
Southborough in 1980, beginning an impressive and distinguished 28 year 
career in law enforcement. He received his Bachelor of Science in 
Criminal Justice from Northeastern University in 1983 and earned a 
Master's Degree in Public Administration from Clark University in 
Worcester in 2003. He was also a graduate of the State Police Academy 
where he was President of his class. In 2004 he was appointed as 
Southborough's Chief of Police.
  Chief Webber's career with the Town of Southborough was characterized 
by honor, courage and commitment. His professionalism and integrity 
made him a great role model for his fellow officers and law enforcement 
colleagues. Town Planner Vera Kolias said ``Chief Billy Webber had all 
of the qualities that you can only hope for in one person: an 
accomplished, intelligent and caring professional, and a consummate 
gentleman who displayed integrity and sensitivity at every turn.''
  With Chief Webber's death, the citizens of Southborough have suffered 
a tragic loss. The love and respect felt by his neighbors and members 
of the community is reflected by the Town's dedication of its 2008 
Annual Report to him. In presenting copies of the Annual Report to his 
family at a recent Board of Selectmen meeting, Chairman Bill Boland 
expressed thanks to them ``for sharing Billy with us; he was truly a 
remarkable person and a great representative of the Town of 
Southborough.''
  Chief Webber's Pastor, Reverend James Flynn of St. Matthew's Church 
in Southborough observed that he was a man of great compassion and said 
that ``We of St. Matthews were awed with the example that Bill left for 
us, a man of faith who genuinely loved his neighbor.''
  Sadly, the record of impressive achievements and honorable service 
throughout Chief Webber's life came to an early end on November 11, 
2008. As noted by Vanessa Hale, Assistant Town Administrator of 
Southborough, ``It was providential that he left us on Veterans Day--a 
proud, patriotic American who loved his family, God and Country to the 
end.''
  On behalf of the residents of the Third Massachusetts District, I 
extend our deep sympathy to his loving wife Kathy (Carmody) Webber, his 
children Kathleen and Kevin, his siblings Patricia and Stephen, their 
family members and the legion of friends who will always remember Billy 
Webber and the cherished part he played in their lives.

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