10-R150
2010 -- S 2767
Enacted 04/06/10
S E N A T E R E
S O L U T I O N
HONORING DR.
ROBERT J. MCKENNA FOR HIS EXEMPLARY SERVICE TO THE CITIZENS AND STATE OF
Introduced By: Senators Paiva-Weed, C Levesque, Felag, Gallo, and Jabour
Date Introduced: April 06, 2010
WHEREAS, The Honorable
Dr. Robert J. McKenna has earned the utmost respect of
educators, students, department directors, Boards of Directors,
legislators, constituents, staff, and
all related entities for the insight, knowledge, hard
work, professional courtesy, and wise counsel
he has exhibited throughout his tenure in service to the
people of the State of
WHEREAS, Born in
attained his Bachelor of Arts degree from
School, and earned his graduate degree from Catholic
University of America in 1962. From 1953
until 1956, he served our country as a Russian Linguist in
the United States Army; and
WHEREAS, Dr. McKenna met
and married Mary Jean Kelly and together they raised
seven wonderful children. The family made their home in
employed as a Professor of Politics at Salve Regina – The
Newport College. He later served as
Professor Emeritus and Assistant to the President
until his retirement in 1995; and
WHEREAS, His devotion to
the people and City of
for public service, made Bob McKenna the ideal candidate
for election to the
General Assembly, and later, to lead his much-loved
community. He served for two terms in the
House of Representatives, followed by twelve years in
the Rhode Island Senate, representing
District 50 in
“City by the Sea”; and
WHEREAS, As a state Senator, Dr. McKenna earned the trust and
admiration of his
colleagues, as well as his constituents. He was named Chair of
the Senate Finance Committee and
was a member of the Senate Labor Committee and the Senate
Health, Education, and Welfare
Committee. He also served on the Rhode Island Heritage Committee
and the New England Board
of Higher Education, and was Chair of the American and
Irish Cultural Exchange Commission;
and
WHEREAS, Dr. McKenna has
received numerous awards and honors for his leadership
and management. He was named Grand Marshall of
Annual Newport St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and the
National Police Parade. He was selected as an
outstanding educator, received the distinguished Service Award
from the Mental Health
Association of
Association, to name just a few; and
WHEREAS, One of the
highlights of Dr. McKenna’s long history of leadership and
public service is his fifteen years of dynamic guidance as
Chairman of the Board of Directors of
the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA), and his
three decades of service on the board.
He also served as Chair of the Rhode Island Higher
Education Assistance Authority; and
WHEREAS, During his tenure as chair of RISLA, Dr. McKenna made great
strides in
expanding the programs and enhancing the resources of the Loan Authority
in order to make
higher education more accessible and affordable to thousands
of Rhode Islanders. He established
a program to offer free SAT preparation courses to area
high schools, and oversaw the awarding
of more than 200,000 loans; allowing 100,000 students to
reach their higher education goals. In
addition, through the College Planning Center of Rhode Island,
which RISLA operates, a variety
of reward programs were established for graduates in the
fields of teaching, nursing, and
pharmacy; and
WHEREAS, A founding father of both the Fort Adams Foundation and the
Trust, Dr. McKenna serves as Vice Chair of the
Foundation and is the Executive Vice President
of the Trust, founded in 1994 as a non-profit
organization.
located on
National Historic Landmark structure; and
WHEREAS, Originally, the
States Navy. Because the Navy was proceeding with plans to
demolish the fort and reform the
land’s usage, a situation that would have proven to be
disadvantageous for Rhode Islanders, then
State Senator McKenna joined forces with United States
Senator Claiborne Pell, providing
essential support to wrest the land away from Navy hands. To
the immense benefit of our Ocean
State, the McKenna-Pell efforts were ultimately
successful and resulted in the transfer of Fort
WHEREAS, Dr. McKenna’s
years of dedicated service, his personal and professional
integrity, and his faithfulness to the principles and ideals he
diligently maintained throughout his
lifetime of public service have earned him the unqualified
admiration and respect of all who have
been privileged enough to work with him; now, therefore be
it
RESOLVED,
That this Senate of the State of
hereby takes great pleasure in recognizing the exceptional
service of Dr. Robert McKenna. We
furthermore express our profound gratitude for all his efforts to
ensure a brighter and more
prosperous future for all Rhode Islanders; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is
authorized and directed to
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to The Honorable
Robert J. McKenna.
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LC02270
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