March 28, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 54 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages H2906-H2907]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1200
          RECOGNIZING JOHN OSTENBURG OF PARK FOREST, ILLINOIS

  (Ms. KELLY of Illinois asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, in recognition of Mayor John 
Ostenburg of Park Forest, Illinois: son, husband, father, grandfather, 
mayor, trustee, legislator, leader, collaborator, author, teacher, 
speaker, editor, reporter, environmentalist, unionist, merchant, 
director, adviser, lecturer, painter, reader, traveler, neighbor, 
humanitarian, and ubiquitous friend.
  ``We do not exist for ourselves,'' his mentor once said.
  When theologian Thomas Merton uttered those simple words, it likely 
tickled the eardrums and, certainly, the fancy of our friend, John 
Ostenburg.
  To be clear, John enjoys his various vocations, but it just so 
happens that many endeavors share a common thread: to serve others for 
the greater good.
  He makes sure everything he does, every role he plays, positively 
impacts others. That is who he is.
  A perpetual student of mankind and relentless advocate of Chicago's 
Southland, John's omnipotence comes complete with the genuine chuckle 
of a friend, the wise grin of a mediator, the dignified humility of a 
monk.
  With career highlights too long to list and colleagues too numerous 
to count, I commend and thank John Ostenburg for his longtime service 
to residents across the Second Congressional District of Illinois.
  On their behalf and on behalf of the Congress of the United States, I 
wish Park Forest Mayor John Ostenburg Godspeed as he retires from 
elective office, if not from public service.

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