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Floor Speech

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Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise along with my colleagues, Representatives Nancy Pelosi, John Garamendi, Seth Moulton, and Ed Case to honor the life and legacy of Paul DePrey, who passed away on October 10, 2025, at the age of 58. A devoted public servant for more than 30 years, Paul demonstrated an unwavering commitment to environmental stewardship, conservation, and the mission of the National Park Service.

Born in Edmundston, New Brunswick, Paul earned his bachelor's degree in history and anthropology from the University of Maine. He later moved to Bellingham, Washington, where he completed his master's degree in anthropology at Western Washington University. It was during this time that he met his wife, Cari Kreshak, whom he married in 1995.

Paul launched his career as an archaeologist for the USDA Forest Service in the Cascade Mountain Range of Oregon and Washington, before serving in the USDA Office of the Secretary and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There, Paul contributed to the Northwest Forest Plan, the Headwaters Land Exchange, the Presidential Forum at Lake Tahoe, and critical efforts to improve federal-tribal relationships and advance endangered species conservation.

In 2001, Paul joined the National Park Service, where he served with distinction for nearly twenty-five years. Paul first served as Resource Manager at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area and then at Joshua Tree National Park. In 2008, Paul became Superintendent of the Pearl Harbor National Memorial, where he oversaw the construction of a new visitor campus and renovation of the USS Arizona Memorial. During his tenure, he worked closely with the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai'i to establish the Honouliuli National Historic Site, a vital preservation that remembers the stories of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II and serves as a powerful reminder of the need to protect civil liberties in times of conflict.

Paul later served as Superintendent of Salem Maritime and Saugus Iron Works National Historic Sites, where he acted as the National Park Service liaison to the Essex National Heritage Area. Under his leadership, Paul expanded visitor access to park resources, addressed historic preservation concerns, and broadened interpretive programs to include Indigenous, colonial European, and Black histories found in New England coastal communities.

In 2022, Paul was appointed to Superintendent of San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, where he led the complex task of temporarily relocating the park's fleet of national historic landmark ships to Mare Island, site of the Mare Island Naval Shipyard and the Nation's first naval base on the Pacific Ocean.

Paul was widely admired as an exceptional leader who put people first, whether it was a twenty-year veteran of the park or a new gateway community member at Mare Island and Vallejo. Paul perfectly balanced stewardship and recreation, ensuring the preservation of maritime history and culture while also revitalizing and reimagining the role of recreation at Aquatic Park. While Paul left us too soon, his legacy as a leader and person will endure. Paul is survived by his wife, Cari; children, Sebastian and Ronan; his parents and sisters.

Mr. Speaker, I respectfully ask that you join us in extending condolences to Paul's family and many friends and in expressing our appreciation for his decades of exemplary public service to our Nation.

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