[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 23, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1366-E1367]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN TRIBUTE TO OLGA M. JONES, RECIPIENT OF THE AWARD 1999 DISTINGUISHED 
                        WOMEN OF NORTH CAROLINA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EVA M. CLAYTON

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 23, 1999

  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, one hundred and twenty-six women were 
nominated to receive an award for 1999 Distinguished Women Of the Year. 
Seven were selected. Among the seven is one of my constituents, Olga M. 
Jones.
  A Native North Carolinian, Mrs. Jones attended public schools in our 
state and graduated from the Community Hospital School of Nursing. 
Later, she did post-graduate work at the University of Colorado and 
other institutions. In 1950, she became a Registered Nurse, launching a 
career that has taken her around the World, including Japan, Korea, 
Germany, Egypt and the Scandinavian Region. She has also traveled 
extensively, throughout the United States, including Alaska. And, 
currently she serves as Director of the Martin County Alzheimer's Group 
Respite Program in Williamston, North Carolina.
  More than three decades of her nursing career was spent in the United 
States Army Nurse Corps, where she attained the rank of Colonel. Her 
experience with the Army and the opportunities she was afforded to 
travel helped cement her deep, unflinching commitment to health care 
and to a concern for others. She always knew she wanted to be a nurse, 
recounting how despite her mother's death when she was only five, the 
white nursing uniform that her mother wore remained etched in her mind.

[[Page E1367]]

  Mr. Speaker, health care demands the most attentive and considerate 
among us, those who are faithful, loyal, and steadfast. It is a 
profession that requires individuals who are courteous, thoughtful and 
kind. Mrs. Olga M. Jones has reflected those qualities in all that she 
has done, over the years. She is an inspiration, a breath of fresh air, 
a pillar of strength, a tough lady with a tender heart. She has dared 
to be different, and she has made a difference.
  One must gasp for air when reviewing all that Mrs. Jones has done. 
She has taught nursing classes. She has given instruction in nutrition. 
She has organized exercise classes. She has recruited many, many 
volunteers for community work. She has coordinated youth programs. She 
has organized blood drives. And, she is a member of numerous civic 
organizations. Despite all that she does, this loving wife and devoted 
mother keeps the proper priorities in perspective, reserving important 
time and effort to family and church. I urge all of my colleagues to 
join me in saluting, Mrs. Olga M. Jones, a 1999 Distinguished Woman of 
North Carolina.

                          ____________________