[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 12 (Tuesday, February 4, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E130]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       A POINT-OF-LIGHT FOR ALL AMERICANS: SHIRLEY URSULA GRABER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MAJOR R. OWENS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 4, 1997

  Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Shirley Ursula 
Graber, an individual who was a committed fighter for racial and gender 
equality, and social and economic justice. As a social architect, 
community leader, teacher, and trusted confidant, she harbored a great 
faith in people, believing that everyone was capable of growth. During 
her journey in this world, Ms. Graber's unwavering activism influenced 
many--young and old--to become catalysts of change. Ms. Shirley Ursula 
Graber is a great Point-of-Light whose citizenship, passion, and 
accomplishments should be saluted as a source of inspiration for all 
Americans.
  From her college days to age 72 when she succumbed to a grave 
illness, Shirley Graber's principles were placed strategically into 
action. She was copresident of Brooklyn NOW--National Organization for 
Women--and executive board member of Brooklyn OWL--Older Women's 
League. At Brooklyn NOW, she led just a handful of dedicated women to 
prevent the dissolution of the chapter in the early 1990's. 
Consequently, the chapter was brought to new heights of activism and 
political awareness, and is now 350 members strong with a solid core of 
active advocates. At Brooklyn OWL, Ms. Graber influenced the focus and 
success of the 250-member chapter in its advocacy of issues especially 
significant to women in their golden years.
  Shirley Graber always recognized and attacked any person, effort or 
idea that threatened the social condition of women. She spearheaded the 
formation and served as Chair of the Coalition to Save the Brooklyn 
College Women's Center. This union of women's organizations in Brooklyn 
fought to save the oldest women's center in New York State that had 
been threatened with extinction by budget cuts.
  Ms, Graber thoroughly appreciated the historical transformation of 
women's rights in America. She was dedicated to completing this 
transformation and furthering such rights. For example, Ms. Graber 
possessed a fervent core belief in the need for an equal rights 
amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In honor of her ideas and 
endeavors, she received the New York State NOW Woman to Woman Award. A 
plaque in her honor is also scheduled for installation in the Women's 
Hall of Fame at Seneca Falls, NY--the birthplace of the U.S. women's 
suffrage movement.
  Shirley Graber was the daughter of a steel mill union organizer and a 
strong-minded mother, who in her 90's is still an outspoken community 
and women's rights advocate. A resident of Brooklyn, NY, Ms. Graber was 
born in Cleveland, OH and moved to New York in 1948 to attend graduate 
school. She first attended Ursuline College in Ohio, the first member 
of her family to obtain a postsecondary education.
  As evidenced in her life activities, it is difficult to determine 
where Ms. Graber's professional, civic, and personal life began and 
ended. The fervor and skill with which she carried out her work as 
teacher, organizer, and counselor were inextricably connected to her 
larger goals of equality and justice for all. Consistently, she not 
only uplifted her community and her gender, but she improved the 
quality of life for everyone. A consummate team player, pillar of 
support, and unifying force behind numerous noteworthy efforts, Shirley 
Ursula Graber is a great Point-of-Light for all the children, women, 
and men of America.

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