[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 157 (Sunday, November 9, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2287]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   A TRIBUTE TO RUBYE GIBSON FOR 80 YEARS OF OUTSTANDING SERVICE TO 
                                VETERANS

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                       HON. ESTEBAN EDWARD TORRES

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Saturday, November 8, 1997

  Mr. TORRES. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Rubye Gibson, for 
her 80 years of outstanding service to our veterans. On November 11, 
1997, during the city of Montebello's Veterans Day ceremony, the 
community will honor Rubye for her lifetime of dedication to the men 
and women of our nation's Armed Forces.
  As the last surviving president of the Ladies Auxiliary Barracks No. 
5, the fifth veterans organization in the United States, Rubye 
demonstrated tremendous leadership during World War I. During World War 
II she was a mail carrier for the city of Montebello. Of the period in 
our Nation's history, Rubye recalls having the fortunate experience of 
shaking hands with Gen. Jimmy Doolittle and being invited to meet Gen. 
Omar Bradley. Her lifetime of experience and work with veterans has 
earned her the respect and admiration of her colleagues and community 
members.
  Rubye comes from a long line of family members dedicated to serving 
our country. It was at the age of 13, when her brother, while fighting 
in France received wounds that would keep him hospitalized for 2 years, 
that Rubye decided the only way she could help her brother was to work 
with veterans. For the past 80 years, Rubye has kept her commitment to 
helping our Nation's veterans through her volunteer work with the 
Veterans of foreign Wars. To this day, she remains relentless in her 
effort to sell ``buddy poppies'' to help hospitalized and indigent 
veterans.
  Along with an unwavering dedication to help our veterans, Rubye has 
displayed a genuine interest and concern for our community's children. 
In rural South Dakota, Rubye's career as a school teacher was cut short 
because, in that day in age, it was unacceptable for a married woman to 
teach. For 18 years, Rubye volunteered her time to the Dorothy Kirby 
Center and to the Foster Grandparent Program, where she worked with 
mentally disturbed children.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with pride that I rise today to pay tribute to 
Rubye Gibson for her lifetime of service to our Nation's veterans. I 
ask my colleagues to join me in saluting Rubye for her 80 years of 
selfless commitment to the men and women who have proudly served our 
country in the Armed Forces.

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