[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 107 (Tuesday, July 27, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1661-E1662]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IN MEMORY OF THE LATE BETTY LOU STEVENSON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDWARD R. ROYCE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 27, 1999

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to honor the memory of Betty Lou 
Stevenson by submitting the following article from the Fullerton 
Observer, honoring her ``life of inspiration'', for the Record.

       [From the Fullerton Observer, Issue Number 322, July 1999]

               Betty Lou Stevenson--A Life of Inspiration

       ``Service Above Self'' best summarizes the extraordinary 
     life of Betty Lou Stevenson. Over 300 community members 
     attended her memorial at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in 
     Fullerton on June 7, 1999 to honor her enormous contributions 
     and positive, energetic spirit. She was very proud of her 
     Scottish heritage and a bagpiper performed at her memorial 
     service. Those in attendance also learned some of the 
     following about this remarkable lady.
       Betty Lou was born in Portland, Oregon. Her father being a 
     construction engineer, the family moved on average of once a 
     year, meaning Betty Lou was perpetually the ``new student'' 
     in school. She learned to ``go with the flow'' and be 
     comfortable in almost any social situation Betty Lou attended 
     the University of Oregon from 1937-40, where as President of 
     her Chi Omega sorority and of the Heads of Houses she was 
     listed in Who's Who in America Universities and Colleges 
     (1939-40). Upon graduating from college, Betty Lou and her 
     family moved to Fullerton. The town has never been the same.
       Many of Betty Lou's accomplishments occurred while acting 
     in the capacity of single parent to her two sons after her 
     19-year marriage ended in divorce. While holding down her 
     full-time teaching positions, donating hours of volunteer 
     time and being a single mother she somehow managed to attend 
     night school classes at Whittier College ultimately earning 
     her Master's degree.
       Betty Lou Stevenson loved teaching. During her 35 years as 
     a 7th grade math teacher a minimum of 5,000 students passed 
     through her classes and achieved success. Irving Wright, 
     Betty Lou's principal at Wilshire Jr. High, spoke for most of 
     those who knew her when he stated that he admired her 
     tremendously and considered her a wonderful lady. In addition 
     to teaching math at both Wilshire and Nicholas Junior Highs, 
     Betty Lou worked on the yearly Christmas program. Her 
     tireless devotion to her students, school and fellow staff, 
     earned her recognition from the school board for 
     ``Distinguished Service to the Fullerton School District.''
       In 1972 Betty Lou became President of the Fullerton 
     Elementary Teachers Association (FETA). The only walkout in 
     the history of the Fullerton School District occurred the 
     following year. A key factor in the resolution of the 
     negotiations impasse was her participation and leadership.
       Volunteering was an essential part of Betty Lou's life. She 
     was a charter member and supporter of the Heritage House at 
     the Fullerton Arboretum spending many a Sunday as a docent, 
     sharing her love of Victorian history with visitors. During 
     the week

[[Page E1662]]

     she often led tours through the House for school groups. 
     Betty Lou loved working at the Heritage House because it 
     reminded her of her happy childhood in Portland and the house 
     that she was born in, which still stands today in a 
     historical neighborhood. Betty Lou also served as a docent 
     for the Art Alliance at Cal State Fullerton, leading groups 
     of high school students through the art galleries.
       Upon her retirement Betty Lou devoted even more time to her 
     volunteer efforts. She kept a daily calendar by her telephone 
     to keep track of all her activities. As her calendar shows, 
     being involved in up to four separate activities in one day 
     was not unusual. At the time of her death, she was an active 
     member in 9 major organizations, including the California 
     Retired Teachers Association; PEO; Continuing Learning 
     Experience at Cal State; Delta Kappa Gamma; charter member of 
     AAUW. In all these groups Betty Lou served as President and 
     helped out in any way she was needed, from serving as an 
     officer to serving on the clean-up committee. In short, Betty 
     Lou was a truly dedicated volunteer.
       Betty Lou had many varied interests from her decorated egg 
     collection featured in an exhibit at the library, to bridge, 
     to reading and traveling to learn about different cultures. 
     Betty Lou was stylish and hats were one of her trademarks. At 
     St. Andrew's church where she was a member for over 50 years, 
     she was affectionately referred to as the ``hat lady.'' She 
     organized and worked in the parish Clothes Closet from its 
     inception in 1986 distributing clothes to the homeless.
       Some of the essence of Betty Lou can be understood from her 
     own words in 1998. Thararat Charconsonthichai, a graduate 
     student at Cal State who extensively interviewed Betty Lou 
     for ``The Life Story of Elizabeth Louise Stevenson,'' said, 
     ``Optimism, or the belief that whatever happens will be good, 
     is the essential theme she employed in explaining herself and 
     her life to me.'' Betty Lou put it this way: ``I am an 
     optimist even when I face troubles. I was disappointed that 
     my marriage did not work. That was difficult for me. But I 
     never looked at the bad side. I am basically not a down 
     person. Of course I have disappointments; we all have those. 
     But I always look for something that helps. Nowadays it is 
     not easy to live without an education, especially for women. 
     Women should develop skills to help themselves if such a 
     thing as divorce happens.'' Betty Lou's career as a teacher 
     and lifelong volunteer for groups with educational missions, 
     underscored her commitment to seeing ideal realized.
       At the memorial service, the eulogy was delivered by Father 
     Mark Shier, Rector of St. Andrews. Most fittingly, at the 
     conclusion the audience rose and gave a standing ovation for 
     the life of Betty Lou Stevenson--a life from which we can all 
     gain inspiration.
       The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations in Betty 
     Lou's name be made to Fullerton Arboretum or CLE.

     

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