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Rep. Timothy H. Bishop

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize the life of Barrett Byrnes, a constituent and friend, who passed away on December 21, 2011. He was 59 years old.

Barrett Byrnes was raised in Huntington and attended Harborfields High School in Greenlawn before going on to Farmingdale State College. While a student at Farmingdale, Barrett pitched for the baseball team and in 1972 had an ERA of 0.36, fifth in the country and a school record that stands to this day.

Upon his graduation, Barrett followed in his father's footsteps and began training to become an air traffic controller. Ralph Byrnes was one of New York's first air traffic controllers at LaGuardia Airport.

Barrett's career began at Duchess County Airport in Wappingers Falls, a small local airport. It ended at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, where he was a certified professional controller in the main tower for the final fourteen years of his career, retiring in 2008.

Beyond his valuable work in the control tower, Barrett was also an active leader in the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, of which he was a charter member, and president/faculty representative of the JFK Tower chapter. As a safety advocate, Barrett served as an air safety investigator to the National Transportation Safety Board.

It was through his commitment to legislative activism on behalf of his union that I came to know him, as he served as the face of the NATCA to the New York congressional delegation.

Mr. Speaker, I mourn the passing and honor the memory of Barrett Byrnes. I wish to extend my heartfelt sorrow to his wife, Jacqueline Taylor, and the rest of Barrett's family.