[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12442]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 IN HONOR OF GEORGE AND ROSEMARY ESSEFF

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELTON GALLEGLY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 13, 2009

  Mr. GALLEGLY. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor George and Rosemary 
Esseff: entrepreneurs, philanthropists, American patriots and world 
citizens.
  George and Rosemary are being honored this week by Many Mansions, a 
nonprofit organization in my district that has been providing hope, 
homes, and life-enriching services to homeless and low-income citizens 
for 30 years. George and Rosemary are among those who have had a strong 
and generous hand in Many Mansions' success.
  I have the privilege of calling George and Rosemary my friends.
  George and Rosemary are the epitome of the American success story. 
George began his career in 1951 as a chemist/metallurgist for the U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers before striking out on his own and going on to 
become one of the world's most successful titanium entrepreneurs.
  Along the way, George and Rosemary have used their wealth to help 
those in need also have the opportunity to become successful. One 
example is $1 million they donated to Many Mansions for a housing 
project several years ago--only part of their legacy with Many 
Mansions.
  George and Rosemary are devout Catholics and George's brother, John, 
is a monsignor. The family traces their roots to Lebanon. Three years 
ago, George, Rosemary, John and their grandson, Andrew, traveled to 
Lebanon to further their humanitarian work, including donating 
equipment to a hospital. Monsignor Esseff planned to lead a retreat for 
nuns belonging to the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by 
Mother Teresa,
  Then war broke out. It was not the first time the Esseffs found 
themselves in wartime Lebanon and it only cemented their belief that 
their help is needed and beneficial.
  One avenue for their philanthropy is The Esseff Foundation, which 
they founded in 1979 in memory of his grandfather, George Abdanour 
Esseff. The Esseff Foundation is a non-political, non-profit 
organization dedicated to relieving the sufferings of the poor both in 
America and around the world.
  In pursuit of that goal, the foundation funnels its resources to 
those organizations whose track records demonstrate their abilities to 
assist and house the homeless, feed and clothe the poor and provide 
medical care to those in need.
  George takes his politics as seriously as he takes business and 
philanthropy. He spelled out his beliefs and what it means to be a 
Republican and a patriotic American in an ad titled, ``What I Am,'' 
that ran in the Washington Post on October 20, 2004.
  Mr. Speaker, George and Rosemary Esseff mirror the American Dream and 
have been instrumental in helping others pull themselves up and realize 
the Dream for themselves. I know my colleagues will join me in thanking 
them for being role models for Americans--striving for success 
honorably and morally and bringing others along with you with 
generosity and compassion--and in congratulating them for their well 
deserved honors.

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