[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 11 (Thursday, February 12, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E173]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


      OUR LADY OF THE LAKE UNIVERSITY INAUGURATES FIFTH PRESIDENT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. HENRY B. GONZALEZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 12, 1998

  Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, on February 21st of this year, Our Lady of 
the Lake University will inaugurate Sally Mahoney as its fifth 
president. It is an honor for me to recognize and applaud this 
important event at one of the leading institutions of higher learning 
in the entire southwest portion of our Nation.
  Our Lady of the Lake University is coated in the heart of the 20th 
Congressional District of Texas, which I have had the honor and 
privilege of representing in the U.S. Congress for thirty-six years 
now. For over one hundred years, Our Lady of the Lake University has 
provided premier education at the same location on the Westside of San 
Antonio.
  The University--or ``The Lake'' as it is affectionately referred to 
in San Antonio--was originally established in Texas by the Congregation 
of the Sisters of Divine Providence. From its inception as a Catholic 
academy for young women, the Lake has grown into a coeducational 
institution of world renown, serving an entire region with an offering 
of scores of areas of study and advanced degrees. As I said on the 
floor of the U.S. House of Representatives some eight years ago on the 
University Founder's Day, ``Our Lady of the Lake University stands 
alone in its rich history of offering opportunities to groups left out 
of the mainstream, including women of all ethnic groups and adult 
students.''
  While its enrollment may be small in numbers compared to some other 
universities, Our Lady of the Lake is big in its impact. It maintains 
the oldest social work program in Texas at the Worden School of Social 
Service. The list of University graduates reads as a who's who of those 
working to make a difference in their communities at the local level 
and nationally as well. It includes my esteemed colleague in the U.S. 
House of Representatives, the Honorable Ciro Rodriguez, and members of 
my own staff.
  Other graduates include Dr. Gloria Rodriguez of Avance, Mary Jo 
Alvarez-Rodriguez of Project COPE, Guadalupe Gibson and Dr. Ernesto 
Gomez of Centro Del Barrio, Rosemary Stauber of the Bexar Country 
Women's Center, and Louise Locker Elliot of the Elf-Louise program. The 
list goes on and will only continue to grow, thanks to the strength of 
the University as an institution and the commitment of those associated 
with our Lady of the Lake.
  As the recipient of an honorary doctoral degree in the humanities 
from Our Lady of the Lake, I would also like to extend my own personal 
welcome and congratulations to President Mahoney on the auspicious 
occasion of her inauguration as the fifth president of Our Lady of the 
Lake University. President Mahoney takes the reins from my long-time 
and very dear friend, Sister Elizabeth Anne Sueltenfuss, who served as 
President of the Lake for the past nineteen years. I trust that 
President Mahoney will have as long and productive a tenure, as Our 
Lady of the Lake continues into its second century of educational 
service and excellence.

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