[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 37 (Thursday, March 20, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E529]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING BETTY WILSON OF SANTA FE SPRINGS FOR HER LIFETIME OF PUBLIC 
                                SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ESTEBAN EDWARD TORRES

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 20, 1997

  Mr. TORRES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Santa Fe Springs City 
Councilwoman Betty Wilson, a good friend and distinguished public 
servant. On March 21, 1997, Betty's colleagues on the Santa Fe Springs 
City Council, family, and friends will gather to pay tribute to her on 
the occasion of her retirement from the city council.
  Betty has devoted her entire life to public service, and her record 
of accomplishments is exemplary, extensive, and impressive. She was 
first elected to the Santa Fe Springs City Council at the city's 
incorporation in May 1957. She served as the city's first mayor, 
becoming the first woman to hold that office in any city in Los Angeles 
County. She went on to serve 10 more terms as mayor, completing her 
11th term in 1996.
  In addition to her service on the city council, Betty has been a 
member of several professional and community service organizations. She 
served as chapter president of the Santa Fe Springs Business and 
Professional Women's Club, as a member of the Santa Fe Springs Women's 
Club, and as past president of the Los Angeles County Division of the 
League of California Cities, where she served on the Revenue and 
Taxation Committee, chairperson of the Human Resources Committee, and 
member of the Action Plan for Local Government Task Force. She also 
served as a member of the Los Angeles County Children's Services Task 
Force, and was instrumental in the establishment of a separate 
Children's Services Department within the County of Los Angeles.
  Betty has been involved in the Santa Fe Springs Sister City Program 
for many years, serving three terms as president. She is currently 
president emeritus of the Town Affiliation Association of the United 
States--Sister Cities International, and serves as council liaison to 
the Santa Fe Springs Sister City Committee, Community Program 
Committee, and Beautification Committee. She is also a member of the 
advisory council for the Salvation Army's Transitional Living Center in 
Whittier, CA.
  Betty has received numerous awards for her service, including 
recognition in Who's Who in American Women, and in Outstanding Civic 
Leaders of America. She has received the U.S. Air Force's Award for 
Advancement of Peace Through Air Power, the Women's Club Civic Award, 
the California Federation of Business & Professional Women's Club 
Citation for outstanding service, the National Civic Committee's People 
to People Award, and the Boy Scouts of America Good Scout Award.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I ask my colleagues to join 
me in paying tribute to my friend and colleague, a distinguished woman 
and public servant, the Honorable Betty Wilson, on the occasion of her 
retirement from public office.

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