[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 79 (Monday, June 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S5426]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN MEMORY OF NANCY JEAN COUTU

 Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I rise today in memory of Nancy Jean 
Coutu, a Peace Corps volunteer who was murdered by native tribesmen on 
April 9, 1996, while serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar.
  Nancy was a young woman whose life was dedicated to helping others. 
She was born and raised in New Hampshire and attended the University of 
New Hampshire. She was full of joy and giving and her desire to help 
others is what brought her to join the Peace Corps in 1994. She spent 
almost 2 years living in the village of Baraketa where she helped the 
villagers build a school and rebuild a small hospital. She also pursued 
her interest in the environment by studying the local ecology. Her 
tragic death was a shock to everyone who knew and loved her, including 
the people of Madagascar whose government posthumously awarded her a 
knighthood for her work in their country.
  Nancy's family and friends have chosen to honor her memory by 
creating a memorial to her on a beautiful maple-shaded knoll in Elm 
Brook Park in West Hopkinton, NH. During the summers of 1992 and 1993, 
while a student at the University of New Hampshire, Nancy worked as a 
park ranger at Elm Brook. There she spent many hours working to expand 
her knowledge and interest in the environment and to share her love of 
nature with visitors to the park. On Sunday, June 15, 1997, the 
memorial, with its large granite stone and plaque, and an oil painting 
of Nancy done by her mother, will be dedicated. In addition, because 
she was particularly interested in helping the handicapped to enjoy the 
many experiences offered by the outdoors, the park's wheelchair 
accessible elevated wildlife viewing observation deck, fishing 
platform, and nature trail will also be dedicated to Nancy.
  Nancy Coutu set a shining example of what can be accomplished through 
public service and voluntarism and I would like to join with her 
family, friends, and all those whose lives she touched with her love, 
in commending her for her courage and willingness to give of herself in 
order to make life better for others.

                          ____________________