September 30, 1996 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1823 for the good works of the AGBU, for Arme- pended from the great parabola arches, was HONORING JOSEPH DIRENZO, JR. nian education and culture, and for all peo- tastefully decorated by large bouquets of ple great any small in America and through- white roses with cascading ivy. The black out the world. Before making his formal re- robes and cowls of the numerous clergy stood HON. ROBERT L. EHRLICH, JR. OF MARYLAND marks, the Catholicos prayed for the souls of is stark and solemn contrast to the resplend- the 230 persons who had tragically lost their ent, although muted church. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES lives the previous day in the TWA plane Saturday, September 28, 1996 crash. Fr. Zaven Arzoumanian of Florida The Komitas Choir of St. John’s Armenian read the Epistle and Archbishop Karekin Church was conducted by Maestro Khoren Mr. EHRLICH. Mr. Speaker, today I would Nersesian of Armenia chanted the Gospel. Meikhanedjian of New York and accom- like to honor Joseph DiRenzo, Jr., a friend, fel- Archbishop Mesrob Ashjian recited the panied by Mrs. Louise Yardumian of St. Pe- low Princeton alumni, constituent, and NCAA ‘‘Christos vorti.’’ tersburg, FL. Soloists included Ms. Maro referee. The Catholicos chose for the scriptural Partamian of New York and a quartet com- Born and raised in Union City, NJ, Joe theme of his address a reading from the Gos- prised of Mrs. Violet Cholakian, Mrs. Arlene DiRenzo graduated from Princeton University, pel of St. Matthew 26:31-46. ‘‘ ‘Come, you Baylerian, Mrs. Denise Karakashian, and which he attended on scholarship in 1956. whom my Father has blessed, take for your Mrs. Barbara Widener of metropolitan De- While a Princeton he was an All East tight end heritage the kingdom prepared for you since troit, who sang moving sharagans (hymns) on the football team. He later played pro foot- the foundation of the world. For I was hun- during the funeral service. gry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and ball with the Montreal Alouettes in the Cana- Closed circuit television carried the serv- you gave me drink I was a stranger and you dian Football League. He also served in the ices into the lobby, the chapel, and the nurs- made me welcome; naked and you clothed U.S. Army. me, sick and you visited me, in prison and ery of the attached Cultural Building where In 1963 he received his first assignment as you came to see me.’ Then the virtuous will elegant tables were set up to supplement the a collegiate referee. During nearly 30 years as say to him in reply, ‘Lord, when did we see 700-seat Cultural Hall from where the cere- a referee he officiated more than 250 games, monies of the hokejash (memorial meal), you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give including seven bowl games; legendary coach you drink? When did we see you a stranger served to almost 1,000 persons, were also telecast. Paul ``Bear'' Bryant's last football game; and and make you welcome; naked and clothe the famous 1984 game in which Doug Flutie you; sick or in prison and go to see you?’’ Entombment services, held by the His Ho- delivered a game-winning ``Hail Mary'' pass And the King will answer, ‘I tell you sol- liness the Catholicos and the numerous cler- emnly, in so far as you did this to one of the gy from Armenia, Europe, and America, took against the University of Miami. least of these brothers of mine, you did it to place at Woodlawn Cemetery following the As a referee, Joe DiRenzo displayed both me.’ ’’ Surely, said the Catholicos, this exem- hokejash with only family members in at- common sense and great mastery of the rules plifies the life of Mr. Alex Manoogian. tendance. The casket was covered by earth of the game. One of Jose DiRenzo's fellow At the end of the funeral, His Holiness the brought from Armenia by Mr. Haroutiunian, referees said of him: ``He was an outstanding Catholicos united the mourners in inviting and the tomb was sealed by the Catholicos official who has no problem making decisions all of them to join in the singing of the Hayr with a cross. The site will be marked by a el- and was hardly ever criticized by a coach. Joe Mer. (the Lord’s Prayer). As the pipe organ egant kachkar (cross-stone) brought from was a credit to the game of football.'' soared, the voice of the congregation filled Armenia by the Catholicos. the cavernous church with brilliant song In addition to his officiating career, Joe with testified to the faith and hope of the ‘‘No one was invited to the funeral,’’ said DiRenzo was a successful executive in sev- people. the pastor of St. John’s, Fr. Baret Yeretzian, eral oil and real estate companies. He was a The clergy and the congregation marched ‘‘that is not the custom. Everyone, clergy 30-year resident of Severna Park, MD, and in solemn procession from the church into and laity, attended of his own desire out of had been active in several community organi- the Armenian Cultural Building for the me- love and respect for Mr. Manoogian. The fu- zations. morial meal which was attended by nearly neral and dan gark, attended by 2,000 persons Joe DiRenzo passed away unexpectedly on 1,000 mourners. His Eminence Archbishop over two days, were a fitting memorial to a September 13. He is survived by his wife of Vatche Hovsepian give the invocation. Lov- great and generous man.’’ 39 years, Cathy, his son, Coast Guard Lt., Joe ing comments on the personal life of Mr. ‘‘Mr. Manoogian’s genius lay in his deter- Manoogian were made by Mrs. Louise DiRenzo III, his daughter, Donna Graves, his Simone, President of the Armenian General mination to resurrect the Armenian people mother, Emilia DiRenzo, and two grand- Benevolent Union, and Mr. Richard after the genocide of 1915,’’ said Dr. Dennis children. Manoogian, Chairman of the Board of R. Papazian, a professor of history at the My thoughts and prayers go out to all of MASCO Corporation, Mr. Manoogian’s University of Michigan, Dearborn, and a resi- them during this time of sadness. daughter and son. dent of Troy, MI, ‘‘to rebuild the Armenian For myself, I am proud to call Joe DiRenzo Mr. Gagik Haroutunian delivered the con- Church, to encourage a free and independent my friend and mentor. Armenia, to preserve and expand Armenian dolences of His Excellency Levon Ter f Petrosian, president of Armenia, and offered culture, and to help the Armenian people re- his own words, of sympathy on behalf of the turn to their rightful place in the family of TRIBUTE TO THE CLIFTON entire delegation from the Republic of Arme- nations and in world history. We have truly HEIGHTS FIRE DEPARTMENT nia. Mrs. Simone then read telegrams of con- lost a great champion of the Armenian peo- dolence from President Bill Clinton of the ple.’’ United States and President Levon Ter HON. CURT WELDON ‘‘We must also not lose sight of the fact OF PENNSYLVANIA Petrosian of Armenia. that Mr. Manoogian was a great American. Telegrams were also announced from His IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES In fact his life was a monumental testimony Beatitude Torkorn Manoogian, Armenian to the greatness of America. Where else in Saturday, September 28, 1996 Patriarch of Jerusalem, and His Beatitude the world could a man rise from a poor im- Karekin Kazanjian, Armenian Patriarch of Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, Constantinople (Istanbul), which were among migrant to a captain of industry, from a next month, my friends at the Clifton Heights the thousands receive from dignitaries and homeless boy to a great world-wide philan- Fire Department will celebrate their 100th an- common folk from all over the world. Arch- thropist? Surely Mr. Manoogian represented niversary. Accordingly, I want to pay tribute to bishop Karekin Nersesian of the diocese of the American dream, and he never forgot it. He gave to all sorts of American causes. We these Americans who have put their lives on Ararat in Armenia give the benediction. the line daily to protect the citizens of Clifton ‘‘Today the entire Armenian nation is are all the poorer for his passing. He will be mourning, as we take part in the funeral sorely missed.’’ Heights, PA. services of our Patriarch,’’ said Mr. In 1896, by order of the courts, the Clifton The pallbearers were Mr. Manoogian’s Heights Fire Protection Association and the Haroutiunian during his remarks. ‘‘Alex grandsons and nephews: James Manoogian, Manoogian’s death is a tremendous loss not Richard Manoogian, Jr., David Simone, Clifton Heights Hose, Hook, and Ladder Co. only for the Armenian people. . . . Mr. Mark Simone, Brian Manoogian, Douglas received their charters. For nearly 60 years, Manoogian was an epoch-making phenome- Manoogian, Chris Christo, and Paul Christo. the two companies operated separately to pro- non who shaped history. He gave charity a vide the citizens of Clifton Heights with superb new meaning and new content; he set an ex- Security for the various dignitaries in at- tendance was provided by the Michigan fire protection. In 1956, putting all rivalry ample for teaching how to live with one’s aside, the two companies agreed to disband people and nation. He taught how to impart State Police and Masco Corporation. The devotion and love.’’ Parish Council of St. John’s Church, along and join together to form one entityÐthe Clif- The color-saturated interior of the sanc- with the Pastor, were active in preparation ton Heights Fire Co. tuary, illuminated by shafts of light pouring and administration. Cynthia Oknaian pro- Since 1956, the Clifton Heights Fire Co. has through the narrow, richly colored stained vided coordination with the various groups been one of the best trained and most aggres- glass windows and by dim golden lamps sus- involved on behalf of the Church. sive companies in Pennsylvania. With support E1824 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks September 30, 1996 from local officials and the community, the fense Logistics Agency [DLA], will retire after dition, DLA now provides more responsive Clifton Heights Co. has emerged as a model a distinguished military career of over 35 materiel deliveries and direct on-scene logis- of excellence in fire fighting capability. Over years. His accomplishments during that period tics support to contingency and humanitarian the years, the company has successfully pro- are many and significant, and the legacy he support forces wherever they go, including cured only the best state of the art fire fighting leaves to the business of the Defense Depart- Haiti and Bosnia. apparatus. Modern equipment combined with ment is beyond comparison. Under Vice Admiral Straw's leadership, DLA excellence in training has resulted in a first Vice Admiral Straw, a native of Marysville, has received a variety of prestigious awards, class company in which we can all take great PA, in my congressional district, joined the including the Joint Meritorious Unit Medial pride. Navy Supply Corps upon commissioning from from Secretary of Defense William Perry. A As a former volunteer fire chief and founder the United States Naval Academy in 1961. As key DLA field activity became one of the first of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, I he rose through the ranks, he served in nu- two federal activities to win the Ford Founda- know firsthand the dedication, determination, merous challenging operational postings in the tion/Harvard University ``Innovations in Amer- and hard work associated with the fire fighting United States and overseas, including three ican Government'' award in 1995. As a result profession. Yet, all to often we take for grant- sea duty assignments. In those progressively of his exceptional performance at DLA, Vice ed our local fire and emergency service per- more responsible positions, he honed his busi- Admiral Straw was selected for additional duty sonnel. ness and logistics management skills and led as Director of DOD's Defense Performance With this in mind, I want to thank the brave his supply forces in supporting improved readi- Review from June 1994 to August 1995 in men and women of the Clifton Heights Fire ness at reduced cost at critical Navy com- support of the National Performance Review. Co. for all they have done over the past 100 mands, such as on the U.S.S. Dwight D. Ei- He subsequently received the Defense Distin- years in making the community of Clifton senhower (CVN±69) during its unprecedented guished Service Medal from Secretary Perry in Heights a safer place to live. Congratulations 10 month deployment in the Persian Gulf. recognition of his performance at DLA and the and I wish you luck in your next 100 years. Moving on to senior headquarters-level pol- DPR, and won the 1996 Founders Award from f icy and execution responsibilities with great the Society of Logistics Engineers. impact Navywide, then-Captain Straw rose Throughout his long and extraordinary ca- TRIBUTE TO PAT DILANNI from chief financial officer of Navy Supply Sys- reer, Vice Admiral Straw has continually intro- tems Command [NAVSUP], to director of sup- duced new ideas wherever he was assigned, HON. DONALD M. PAYNE ply policy and programs for the Chief of Naval achieved unprecedented performance break- OF NEW JERSEY Operations [CNO], and finally to Vice Com- throughs, challenged his people to fulfill their IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES mander of NAVSUP, attaining the rank of two- potential, and always left his organization bet- star Rear Admiral. He pioneered the use of ter prepared for the future. He has done so Saturday, September 28, 1996 commercial unit-costing techniques and other again at DLA, and will be leaving behind an Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, on innovative approaches which drove infrastruc- Agency on the forefront of best business prac- October 3, Mr. Pasquale ``Pat'' DiIanni will be ture savings exceeding $500 million per year. tices and frontline combat support. Upon his honored by the Passic County, NJ, Demo- He developed numerous supply support initia- impending retirement from active duty, the citi- cratic committee at an event being held in tives which contributed immensely to revital- zens of Pennsylvania and the rest of this great Hawthorne, NJ. ized Navy combat preparedness, including Nation are forever in his debt and wish him, Mr. DiIanni was born in Paterson, NJ. He is record high levels of sustained operational his wife Chris, and daughters Sylvana, Katie, a longtime Clifton resident, having graduated readiness support during Operations Desert and Megan, good health, happiness, and from Clifton public schools. He received his Shield and Desert Storm. much success in the future. bachelor and master degrees from Montclair With this record of innovative performance f State College. He taught junior high school and savings, he was selected in July 1992 to science for several years. His love of the law become Director of DLA, DOD's largest com- HONORING LONGTIME FRIEND AND became evident when he received his law de- bat support agency. Now a Vice Admiral, he STAFF MEMBER, DOLORES ANN gree from Rutgers Law School in 1957. He became responsible for providing worldwide NOUHAN subsequently maintained a law practice until logistics support to American warfighters, nu- recently. Mr. DiIanni has served his commu- merous federal agencies, and U.S. allies di- HON. DALE E. KILDEE nity well as an assistant prosecutor of Passaic recting over 50,000 civilian and military per- OF MICHIGAN County and Pompton Lakes borough attorney. sonnel at over 300 locations and managing a IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES His civic activities include work with the Clifton budget of $14 billion per year. DLA acquires, Saturday, September 28, 1996 Memorial Hospital Association and the Kiwanis distributes, and arranges reutilization of the Clubs. He has held many Democratic Party vast majority of DOD's supply system assets, Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to posts including Clifton coleader, Passaic and also administers 377,000 contracts valued pay tribute to a very dear friend of mine, Dolo- County Democratic Chairman and president of at over $900 billion and involving over 24,000 res Ann Nouhan who passed away on August the Passaic County Democratic Club. contractors. 31, 1996. For 22 years, Dolores served as a Mr. Speaker, Mr. DiIanni is an outstanding Vice Admiral Straw's 4 years at DLA rep- loyal, competent and devoted member of my leader with a good sense of humor. He has a resent a watershed, not only for the agency, staff. great love and respect for his family and com- but for public sector management. He thor- It was over two decades ago that I first met munity. I am sure my colleagues will want to oughly reengineered the agency's structure, Dolores Nouhan when I was serving in the join me as I extend best wishes and congratu- processes, and leadership approach. He fo- Michigan State Legislature. She had walked lations to Pat DiIanni and his family; his wife, cused on the customers' needs, changing into my office looking for a job, and because Ludmilla; his children, Patricia, Denice, Diane, DLA's strategy from one of buying, storing, of her great reputation and warm personality, Richard and David; and grandchildren, Re- and delivering large inventories of items just in I hired her the day I met her. From day one, becca, Alden, Annaclair and Marcus who, ac- case they are needed, to arranging cost-effec- Dolores acted with the highest degree of hon- cording to their grandfather, are potential tive material sources that could deliver to the esty, integrity and loyalty. She immediately be- presidents of the United States someday. warfighters when items are needed. He ac- came close friends with all of my family, in- f complished this by taking advantage of cost cluding my wife and three children who saw saving market leverage and the benefits of Dolores as an extension of our family. TRIBUTE TO VICE ADM. EDWARD emerging technology. In both materiel man- When I was elected to the Congress in M. STRAW, SC, USN agement and contract administration, selected 1976, I asked Dolores to leave her lifelong functions have been privatized, modern busi- home and join me in Washington, DC. Dolo- HON. GEORGE W. GEKAS ness techniques brought to bear, and high res, being the dedicated and unselfish person OF PENNSYLVANIA quality partnerships with the country's vast she was, said yes immediately. For the last IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES supplier base fostered. Through these and several years, Dolores served as my office other efforts, the Agency has achieved sav- and business manager. She was responsible Saturday, September 28, 1996 ings or cost avoidances exceeding $10 billion for the day-to-day operations of the office, as Mr. GEKAS. Mr. Speaker, on October 25, to date, with firm commitments to its well as dealing with groups and individuals 1996, Vice Adm. Edward M. Straw, Supply warfighting customers and the taxpayers for who were coming to Washington for visits. I Corps, United States Navy, Director of the De- $20 billion more over the next 7 years. In ad- have not met a person in this city who could