[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 147 (Wednesday, September 20, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1813-E1814]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         TRIBUTE TO MARIE WHIPP

                                 ______


                         HON. HOWARD L. BERMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 20, 1995
  Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to Marie Whipp, 
a close associate, good friend, and a leader in the California 
Federation of Teachers for more than 30 years. I worked extensively 
with Marie during the 1960's and early 1970's, when I was a lawyer for 
the CFT. I found her to be hard working, diligent, and an excellent 
advocate for teachers and public education.

[[Page E 1814]]

  Marie's rise throught the ranks of the union began only a few years 
after she graduated from UCLA in 1957. While she was chair of the 
girl's physical education department at Palmdale High School, she 
became a member of Foothills, American Federation of Teachers Local 
1424. From there she moved up the ladder; chapter chair, local 
secretary, local vice president and, in 1967, she was elected president 
of local 1424. At the time local 1424 had 15 chapters with over 900 
members.
  In 1970, Marie was elected secretary-treasurer of the CFT. The union 
could not have had a better person to help steer it through turbulent 
times. Marie served as secretary-treasurer during the collective 
bargaining fight for survival of the AFT in California and stabilized 
CFT finances by establishing good relations with all of the local 
treasurers, officers and staff of the CFT, the CFT credit union and the 
financial officers and staff of the AFT. Along with Marie's skill at 
debt management, these steps enabled the CFT to finance all collective 
bargaining elections.
  During her record 24-year tenure as CFT secretary-treasurer, Marie 
also created and coordinated the CFT legal defense fund. This is just 
one more way in which she has made her mark on the CFT.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Marie Whipp, 
a person who has worked so hard to make a better life for California's 
schoolteachers. She deserves the respect and admiration of all of us 
who care about the fate of our public schools.


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