August 2, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S5969 

is about women who are in danger, and 

desperately need our help. 

I also had a chance to meet some 

children who were staying at the center. And I would like to take a moment 

to talk about how important this bill is 

for them, both children who witness 

domestic violence, or are victims 

themselves. 

Centers all over New Hampshire and 

the United States have child advocacy 

programs that offer support groups for 

children. Dawn Reams, Director of the 

Bridges Crisis Center in Nashua, NH, 

described that they have a full-time 

child advocate who receives funding 

from VAWA. We know that children 

are particularly vulnerable and illequipped to deal with trauma. 

And this trauma affects them for 

their entire lives. A study by the World 

Health Organization found that children raised in households where domestic violence occurred are more likely 

to have behavioral problems, drop out 

of school early, and experience juvenile 

delinquency. A child who witnesses domestic violence between his or her parents is more likely to view violence as 

an acceptable method of conflict resolution. Boys who witness domestic violence are more likely to become abusers, and girls who witness domestic violence are more likely to become victims of domestic violence as adults. 

The advocate at Bridges does her best 

to prevent this cycle by providing safety planning for the children, teaching 

them that they can live a life free of 

violence. There is free preventive care 

for children. 

She told the story of one young boy, 

Brian, who was nervous about returning to school. He was supposed to bring 

with him a story about something fun 

he had done over the summer. Brian 

was staying at Bridges with his mother, and it had not been a fun summer. 

So the child advocate organized a 

barbeque in a park across the street 

from the crisis center. 

This is the type of healing we need 

more of, and we can start by reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act. 

I urge all of my colleagues in the House 

to pass the Senate VAWA, for women, 

for children, for all survivors and for 

those that have not yet come forward. 

f 

REMEMBERING GAETANO ‘‘TOM’’ 

MAZZARELLA 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, I 

rise today to pay tribute to the life of 

Gaetano ‘‘Tom’’ Mazzarella, an admired Connecticut constituent and 

Norwich resident, military hero, and 

beloved member of our veterans community. 

I had the privilege and honor of 

knowing Tom, who truly was extraordinary in dedication to country, drive 

to service, and passionate loyalty to 

his fellow veterans. He was rich in personality and so warm and generous to 

me that I feel the loss almost as a family member. 

The Nation will be forever indebted 

to Tom for his military service as a 

U.S. Marine and a member of the Connecticut Army National Guard. For extraordinary bravery and sacrifice in 

the Pacific Theater during World War 

II, he was decorated with the Silver 

Star and Purple Heart. He also served 

courageously in the Korean war. But 

these honors reflected only part of the 

significance of his service. 

The city of Norwich will never forget 

Tom’s good-spirited dedication to community, gracious sense of humor, and 

engaging smile. He worked part-time 

at both the Norwich Ice Rink and the 

Norwich Golf Course. He also gave 

years of devoted, hard work to Electric 

Boat. 

Throughout his lifetime, his service 

to his country never ebbed or ended. 

Dressed in his Marine Corps dress 

blues, he inspired current military 

members, veterans, and citizens of Connecticut as a representative of ‘‘the 

greatest generation.’’ He and his brothers would visit local groups, telling 

stories and sharing memories that displayed their genuine pride of their 

military service for a country that 

they loved deeply. He was an eloquent, 

moving speaker, who instilled national 

loyalty, civic duty, and the importance 

of public service at many parades, military ceremonies, and veterans organizations with memories of American 

bravery and sacrifice. 

Through my moving conversations 

with Tom—most recently at the ribbon 

cutting for Jewett City, Connecticut’s 

housing for homeless veterans—I came 

to know why he was a hero to so many. 

He inspired all to aspire to a life of 

valor and patriotism and to understand 

the true importance of working for the 

greater good. 

I ask my colleagues to join me in 

honoring Tom—a national hero and a 

hero for all who adored and knew him 

in daily life. He will live on through 

the love of country, strength, friendship, and comradeship that he instilled, 

and continues to instill to this day on 

the floor of the Senate. 

f 

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS 

FROSTBURG, MARYLAND 

∑ Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I wish to 

recognize the 200th anniversary of the 

city of Frostburg in western Maryland. 

Frostburg is located in the mountainous terrain of Alleghany County 

and sits on the eastern slope of Big 

Savage Mountain. Frostburg’s first settlers arrived during the construction of 

the National Road in 1811; the first permanent residents settled there a year 

later, in 1812, which is the bicentennial 

we are observing September 14–16, 2012. 

The town was formally incorporated in 

1816. It was originally called Mount 

Pleasant but the name was changed to 

Frostburg, after Josiah and Meshach 

Frost. Meshach Frost built the city’s 

first house which later became home to 

the Stockton Stagecoach Company and 

prompted the construction of other hotels and accommodations for travelers 

on the National Road. This traffic 

along the road contributed to the 

growth of the town as it became a regular stopping point. 

Although coal had been discovered 

near the town as early as 1782, difficulties in transportation made mining in 

western Maryland impractical. But 

with the local development of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal in the 1840s, coal 

mining began to flourish, providing 

tremendous economic opportunities for 

Frostburg. In 1846, Meshach Frost 

opened the Frostburg Coal Company 

and began to send the first large shipments of coal to the east. Only 4 years 

later, numerous other companies became active in the area, including the 

Allegany Coal Company, the Maryland 

Coal Company, and the Washington 

Coal Company. By 1863, the economy of 

Frostburg and the surrounding area 

was firmly tied to the increasingly 

profitable coal industry. Another industry to develop during this period 

was the manufacturing of fire bricks 

from high grade clays found in the 

area. In 1902, the Big Savage Fire Brick 

Company was formed and to this day is 

one of the major manufactures of fire 

bricks on the east coast. 

Frostburg State University, founded 

in 1898, was donated to the State by the 

citizens of Frostburg and was intended 

to train teachers for Maryland’s public 

schools. The school grew slowly from 

an original enrollment of 91 students 

and has expanded to serve over 6,000 

students today. The University has become a major economic engine for the 

community and a hub for academic and 

cultural activity. 

I ask my colleagues to join me in 

congratulating Mayor W. Robert Flanigan and the residents of the city of 

Frostburg on its bicentennial birthday 

and 200 years of industry and ingenuity.∑ 

f 

TRIBUTE TO DR. ROBIN W. 

MORGAN 

∑ Mr. COONS. Mr. President, it is with 

great pleasure that I wish to honor the 

exemplary service of Dr. Robin W. Morgan as the dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the 

University of Delaware. For the past 10 

years, Dr. Morgan has played an instrumental role in the expansion of agricultural research in her department 

and the development of higher education in our State. As she steps down 

from her position as dean to rejoin the 

University of Delaware’s faculty, I give 

my most sincere thanks to her and her 

staff for their diligent and enduring efforts to maintain the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ reputation as one of the best in the Nation. 

Throughout her tenure as dean, Dr. 

Morgan conducted many studies that 

highlighted the substantial contribution of agriculture to Delaware’s economy. Through her research and professional leadership, she has relentlessly 


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