[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 92 (Thursday, June 20, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1127]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO DARLENE CAROL CALVERT

                                 ______


                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 19, 1996

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great community 
leader who passed away last week--Darlene Carol Calvert.
  Ms. Calvert dedicated her life to community service. She was active 
in the Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego and in its Women's 
Federation and Project Freedom of Religion. She was coordinator of the 
Religious Rights Task Force and advisor for Planned Parenthood at her 
church. She served as founder and chairwoman of the San Diego chapter 
of the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights and as a member of the 
board of directors of the Coalition for Reproductive Choice.
  As a woman who had been stricken with polio at the age of 15, she 
committed herself to ensuring that others in similar situations could 
enjoy a rewarding and independent life. She was an appointee to the 
County Committee for Persons with Disabilities, and she lobbied for 
access to facilities and services for disabled persons.
  With a power wheelchair, arm braces and a ventilator to provide 
oxygen, she lived as independently in San Diego as her health would 
permit--and she worked at The Access Center, a nonprofit agency that 
provides services for the disabled, representing her clients in their 
efforts to also live independently.
  Despite being told often that she would never finish college or be 
employed, she received a bachelor's degree in social work and a 
master's degree in counseling from San Diego State University. She was 
employed in social work and chemical dependency counseling, first at 
Episcopal Community Services and then at the California Youth 
Authority. She joined The Access Center in 1993 and coordinated a 
program to buy adaptive equipment for people with severe disabilities.
  She was honored with several awards, including the Gallantry Award by 
the Easter Seal Society, the Unsung Unitarian of the Year Award, the 
Woman of the Year Award by the Coalition for Reproductive Choice, and 
the Freedom of Religion Award by the Religious Coalition for Abortion 
Rights.
  But of all the awards, the most significant was the respect and 
admiration of her friends, family, and community for her community 
involvement, her passionate advocacy for the disabled, and her desire 
to make the world a better place for all people with disabilities.
  We seldom find a person as dedicated and brave as Ms. Calvert--those 
who touch us with their perseverance and optimism. My thoughts and 
prayers go out to her partner, Chris Shelly, to her family, and to her 
friends in the disabled community and in the San Diego community at 
large. She will be missed.

                          ____________________