E 1006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks May 11, 1995

to five consecutive undefeated seasons, 147

games in all.

Blood left after the 1923–24 season, but the

streak continued well into the next season, finally coming to an end in a 39 to 35 defeat

at the hands of Hackensack High on February

6, 1925. It had been 159 games since the Indians had experienced a defeat, and the magnitude of their accomplishments did not go unnoticed. Coach Blood was the third coach ever

elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, and

one of the team’s greatest stars, Johnny

Roosma, was also accorded that honor.

And to this day, the wonder teams of Passaic High are enjoying much-deserved accolades. On May 18 of this year, they will be inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame of New

Jersey. Congratulations to the families and

friends of all of those connected with these

special athletes. Their accomplishments are

rightly being enshrined into the memory of our

great State, and memorialized for basketball

fans across the country.

STATEMENT HONORING RAY AND

BETTY WELLS

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HON. MARGE ROUKEMA OF NEW JERSEY

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, May 11, 1995

Mrs. ROUKEMA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call

attention to the Girl Scout spring gala being

held by the Girl Scout Council of Bergen

County, May 12, in Teaneck, NJ. They will

honor Ray and Betty Wells, who will receive

the Girl Scouts Outstanding Achievement

Award for their many years of service to the

Girl Scouts and other community and civic organizations. Proceeds from this event will benefit nearly 10,000 girls and 2,500 Girl Scout

volunteers.

Ray and Betty Wells, whom I have known

for many years, are community leaders who

are an inspiration to us all. Each has a

re ́sume ́ of service, activities, and dedication

that is incomparable. Their energy and enthusiasm are endless. It is their brand of volunteerism and personal generosity that has

made our county an exceptional place to work

and raise a family. Bergen County has been

blessed to have good citizens like Betty and

Ray.

Betty Wells, a Girl Scout herself for 5 years

as a young girl, worked as a volunteer in Girl

Scouting for more than 25 years, highlighted

by 10 years as the leader of Troops 350 and

276 in Paramus. She was a charter member

of the Order of the Evergreen and is a recipient of the ‘‘Thanks’’ badge, the Girl Scouts’

highest honor for adults. She served as the

association chairwoman and service team

chairwoman in Paramus.

Ray Wells became involved in the Girl

Scouts through Betty’s involvement, serving

first for several years as the fund drive chairman in Paramus before ultimately taking on

the fundraising efforts for all of Bergen County. He also served on the board of directors.

An architect, he also wrote a Girl Scout manual on building.

The Wells’ Girl Scout activities centered, of

course, around their daughter, Holly, who enjoyed Girl Scouting from age 7 to 17 with her

mother as troop leader. Holly today continues

the tradition of shaping young people as

owner and operator of a preschool in Pennsylvania.

Holly, of course, is only one member of Ray

and Betty’s lovely family, to whom they are immensely dedicated. They have two other

daughters, Kerry, a secretary who lives in Fair

Lawn, and Julie, a nurse in Seoul, South

Korea. Their son, Tom, is an attorney, Peter is

director of the Paramus Building Department

and Jeff is the principal of Wells Associates,

the family architecture firm.

Betty and Ray, who both grew up in

Lyndhurst, moved in 1953 and began their involvement in community service almost immediately. Both served as Sunday School teachers at the Old Paramus Reformed Church,

where Ray was Sunday School superintendent

and Betty was a choir member, deacon, and

elder. Betty joined the Stony Lane Elementary

School Parent-Teacher Organization after their

children began school, eventually becoming its

president. She also was a member of or volunteered at the Paramus Junior Women’s

Club, the Paramus Garden Club, the Paramus

Women’s Club, the Juvenile Conference Committee, the Hermitage in Ho-Ho-Kus, the

Church Guild an Valley Hospital.

Ray was a member of or worked with the

Paramus Jaycees, the George Washington

Cemetery Board, the Aviation Hall of Fame,

the Bergen County Regional Blood Center, the

Oradell Planning Board, the Bergen Museum

of Arts and Science, the Boy Scouts, March of

Dimes, and United Way. He joined the

Paramus Rotary Club in 1964 and went on to

serve as a director, president, and district governor before becoming an international director of the service organization. He headed up

Rotary projects as diverse as Polio Plus—an

effort to eradicate polio—Preserve Planet

Earth and restoration of the gazebo at Bergen

Pines.

The Rotary motto best describes Ray and

Betty: ‘‘Service Above Self.’’ Their good work

and service to their neighbors and fellow men

are limitless. Four decades of community service is a record that few can even come close

to matching. I give my heartfelt congratulations

to the Wells and wish them the best for the future. We are all blessed to have you pass our

way. God bless and Godspeed.

CHANGE OF COMMAND OF

ADMIRAL SKIP DIRREN

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HON. TILLIE K. FOWLER OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, May 11, 1995

Mrs. FOWLER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to

take this opportunity to pay tribute to Rear

Adm. Frank M. ‘‘Skip’’ Dirren, Jr., who has

been the commander of Naval Base Jacksonville since July of 1992, and who will be leaving us tomorrow to accept a new command in

Norfolk, VA. Admiral Dirren is a man of character, courage and compassion and an outstanding naval officer. I am proud to call him

my friend.

If it is true that ‘‘nothing is really work unless

you would rather be doing something else,’’ as

J.M. Barrie once said, then Skip Dirren has

not done a lick of work since he joined the

Navy in 1964. He loves his job and is the

quintessential Navy man—patriotic, loyal, and

devoted to duty. A decorated veteran helicopter pilot, he has made the Navy his life,

and he exemplifies the virtues that I associate

with the service at its best.

Skip is also a fine leader and good man to

have in your corner, as he has consistently

demonstrated during his tenure in Jacksonville. His turn at the helm of our Navy complex

has helped to steer our facilities and personnel through some very rough waters, and he

has strengthened the already good relationship between the community and its Naval facilities in many ways.

His community activism has particularly endeared him to our citizens, and his warmth

and eloquence have made him a much

sought-after speaker. In short, he has become

a respected and beloved member of the community, and his generosity, his kindness, and

his many talents will be greatly missed.

Mr. Speaker, although the business of the

House prevents me from attending Admiral

Dirren’s change of command ceremony tomorrow, my thoughts will be with him and his

lovely wife, Susan, as they celebrate a job

well done and prepare to enter a new chapter

in their life together. I hope they know that

they take with them the gratitude and affection

of our entire city. I wish them both fair winds

and following seas.

TRIBUTE TO MORTON GOULD:

COMPOSER, CONDUCTOR, AND

fFRIEND

HON. BART GORDON OF TENNESSEE

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, May 11, 1995

Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to

highlight merely a few of the countless accomplishments in my dear friend Morton Gould’s

distinguished career, recently capped off by

his receipt of the Pulitzer Prize for music composition.

A New York native, Gould began this career

at the early age of six, when his first composition was published. His tutelage in piano and

composition continued, and by age 21, he was

conducting and arranging weekly orchestra

radio programs for the WOR Mutual Network.

Perhaps Gould’s most performed instrumental piece is his ‘‘Pavanne,’’ from his ‘‘Second

Symphonette.’’ Other works familiar to all of us

include ‘‘Latin-American Symphonette,’’ ‘‘Spirituals for Orchestra,’’ ‘‘Tap Dance Concerto,’’

‘‘Jekyll and Hyde Variations,’’ and ‘‘American

Salute.’’

The Library of Congress has commissioned

his work, as well as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, The New York City Ballet, and the American Ballet Theater. He has

composed scores for Broadway musicals,

films, and both television movies and series.

Conductors worldwide have had the pleasure of directing performances of his compositions, and, as conductor, Gould has appeared

with major orchestras in the United States,

Japan, Australia, and Israel.

Some of Gould’s other awards include a

Grammy Award, several Grammy nominations,

the 1983 Gold Baton Award, the 1985 Medal

of Honor for Music from the National Arts

Club, and the Kennedy Center Honors in

1994. He received the Pulitzer Prize this year

for ‘‘Stringmusic,’’ which was composed at the