[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 7297-7298]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING MARY BUSTILLO DONOHUE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEVEN R. ROTHMAN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 13, 2011

  Mr. ROTHMAN of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate 
my dear friend and longtime colleague, Mary Bustillo Donohue, on being 
honored by the Paramus Catholic High School Alumni Foundation for 31 
years of dedication as a Spanish teacher and Chair of the Modern 
Language Department. Mary's list of accomplishments and causes to which 
she has devoted herself is as impressive as it is extensive. I am very 
fortunate and proud to have such a compassionate and hardworking 
individual as a member of my staff.
  Mary was born on February 14, 1925 in Havana, Cuba, where she spent 
the first 8 years of her life until her family moved to New York City 
to escape the repressive Cuban government. Mary's passion for both 
education and civic involvement was instilled by her parents at an 
early age. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. and summa cum 
laude with an M.B.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, 
New Jersey. Mary later pursued a Ph.D. in Spanish Literature at New 
York University, but the economic pressures of having five of her eight 
children in college during that time interrupted her studies and she 
was only able to complete 69 of the 72 credits required to obtain the 
degree. She became certified as a teacher and joined the faculty of 
Paramus Catholic Regional Boys High School, eventually becoming the 
Chair of the Modern Language Department and the school's first female 
administrator. She also served as an Adjunct Professor of Spanish 
Literature at Seton Hall University for 7 years.
  Mary and her family moved to River Edge, New Jersey, where she 
quickly became involved in her church and in local political and civic 
causes. At St. Peter the Apostle Church, she was elected to serve on 
her parish's council, taught religious school, served as both a Lector 
and a Eucharist Minister, and became involved in various ministries. 
Mary joined the River Edge Democratic Club and went on to serve as 
Committeewoman for District 4 for 50 years. Mary was the first woman to 
ever be elected to the River Edge Council, where she served two terms. 
She was the first Hispanic-American ever elected to the Bergen County 
Board of Chosen Freeholders. As a Freeholder, Mary's commitment to 
education was instrumental in creating the Bergen County Academies. She 
was elected to serve as a

[[Page 7298]]

member of the Democratic National Committee during both of President 
Bill Clinton's terms in office, and was subsequently elected Chair of 
the DNC's Hispanic Caucus during that time. As a member of New Jersey's 
Hispanic Task Force, she helped empower and register Latino voters 
across the State. Under Governor Jim Florio, Mary served on New 
Jersey's Democratic State Platform Committee, drafting the component 
addressing environmental issues. In 1991, she ran as the Democratic 
candidate for New Jersey Senate in District 39, and although she did 
not win, her drive and desire to improve her community was hardly 
deterred. Mary is one of the founding members of the Latino American 
Democratic Association of Bergen County, LADA, an organization that was 
formed in 1993 and continues to grow today. She was appointed by 
Governor Christine Todd Whitman to the Historic New Bridge Landing Park 
Commission, where she led efforts to rename the River Edge Post Office 
Sub-station as the New Bridge Landing Post Office, to obtain State Park 
recognition for Historic New Bridge Landing, and to rename the North 
Hackensack, New Jersey, Transit Station as Historic New Bridge Landing 
at River Edge. Mary continues to serve devotedly as the Vice Chair of 
this commission.
  As a member of my staff in Hackensack, Mary works tirelessly to 
assist constituents with immigration and citizenship issues. Even 
outside of her diligent efforts as a Congressional caseworker, Mary is 
always striving to serve others in her community--whether she is 
teaching Spanish to senior citizens in Teaneck, working to beautify 
River Edge, or volunteering on a local Democratic campaign, I am in awe 
of Mary's boundless energy and devotion to civic duty. And yet, despite 
Mary's lifetime of accomplishments--of which there are too many to list 
here in their entirety--her proudest achievement is the beautiful 
family she created with her loving husband, Jerry Donohue. Throughout 
their 57 years of marriage, until his passing in 2003, Jerry and Mary 
remained steadfastly supportive of each other and madly in love. 
Together, they raised eight wonderful children, who have blessed them 
with 17 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren, with two more great-
grandchildren on the way.
  Mr. Speaker, today I have the privilege of recognizing Mary Bustillo 
Donohue for her extraordinary work as an educator and a lifetime of 
devotion to helping others. Mary is an inspiration to all who meet her, 
and I cannot thank her enough for all that she has done for so many and 
that she continues to do.

                          ____________________