[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3603]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO ROBERT AND VIRGINIA HOWRIGAN

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, tomorrow marks the 60th wedding anniversary 
of Richard and Virginia Howrigan. I am happy to have the opportunity to 
congratulate my good friends who have given so much to the State of 
Vermont.
  The Howrigans are one of the best-known families in Franklin County; 
their family name has been synonymous with successful and conscientious 
dairy farming for decades. Marcelle and I value our friendship with 
them.
  Over the course of the past 60 years, Robert and Virginia have worked 
and grown together. They are wonderful parents, hard workers, and have 
always remained true to their faith.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have an excerpt from a 
February 8, 2009, Burlington Free Press article honoring the Howrigans 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

             [From the Burlington Free Press, Feb. 8, 2009]

                Couples Share Secrets of Love, Marriage

                           (By Sally Pollack)

       Flowers, chocolates and candlelight dinners mark 
     Valentine's Day. But what marks marriage, day after day, year 
     by year, decade upon decade? The Burlington Free Press asked 
     four couples who together have been married a combined 240 
     years what it takes to make a marriage work. We'll let the 
     pros do the talking:


           Virginia and Robert Howrigan, Fairfield, 60 years

       Virginia and Robert Howrigan will celebrate their 60th 
     anniversary Thursday. They are retired farmers who live in 
     Fairfield. The couple worked together on their dairy farm and 
     raised nine children.
       Robert Howrigan will turn 90 in May; Virginia is 80. They 
     met at a soda fountain in a St. Albans drugstore, where 
     Virginia scooped ice cream. For the Howrigans, who were 
     married on Lincoln's birthday, Valentine's Day was never a 
     significant event. ``Mostly we remember Lincoln,'' Virginia 
     said.
       Robert milked cows the morning the couple were married at a 
     church in St. Albans. The work went on and on: The Howrigans 
     stopped doing farm chores four years ago. Tolerance, patience 
     and perseverance are central to the marriage's longevity, 
     Virginia said.
       ``You make the best of what you have and keep going,'' 
     Virginia said. ``You get up in the morning and go with the 
     flow. You know what you've got to do. You don't have to look 
     around for work. There's plenty of it everywhere.'' Robert 
     and Virginia and their children ate all their meals together. 
     Together, the couple talked everything over.
       ``We were able to keep family together,'' she said. ``All 
     our decisions were joint. We do our bills together.'' Robert 
     said two things form the cornerstone of his 60-year marriage: 
     Love and understanding.

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