[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 12 (Thursday, February 10, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H334-H335]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO VOLA LAWSON, A TRULY REMARKABLE AMERICAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a truly 
remarkable American, Vola Lawson, who will be retiring on March 1st. 
For 30 years Vola has been a beacon of dedication to public service.

                              {time}  1715

  She has been my mentor, my heroine, and my inspiration. To say that 
Vola

[[Page H335]]

will be missed understates her far-reaching presence throughout the 
entire metropolitan Washington area.
  Her 30-year career in public service has been unparalleled in its 
effectiveness. Vola entered public life as a civil rights activist in 
the 1960s and then in 1971 became assistant director of the Alexandria 
Economic Opportunities Commission. Her efforts as the chairperson of 
the Alexandria Ad Hoc Committee on Women in 1973 led to the 
establishment of the Alexandria Commission on Women. She is widely 
recognized for her efforts promoting diversity in the city government's 
workforce.
  As the assistant manager for housing in 1975, Vola initiated more 
than $100 million in low-income and senior citizen housing projects. 
For the past 15 years, Vola has shared the distinction of being only 
one of three women to hold the city manager position in cities with 
more than 100,000. There are only three women, and she is one of those 
three women. I do not know the others, but I would venture to say there 
is no one as capable as Vola. As city manager, she has overseen a 
budget of more than $360 million and supervised almost 2,000 people. I 
would also suggest that she knows every one of them and their families 
and cares about each and every one of them deeply, and that caring is 
reciprocal.
  Due to Vola's financial acumen, Alexandria enjoys a AAA credit 
rating, an honor shared by just 22 cities nationwide, which was first 
garnered by the city in 1986. In 1992, the city's creditworthiness was 
upgraded once again, and Alexandria now is one of only 10 cities in the 
country to hold a AAA credit rating. That is through her substantial 
efforts and the people that work with her and for her, as well as the 
Alexandria city council. It is something to be very proud of, and that 
is the balance between a caring, progressive manager and one that is 
fiscally responsible.
  But she is more than a sharp and capable city manager. A breast 
cancer survivor, she turned her personal health crisis into a public 
crusade. She initiated Alexandria's annual breast cancer walk to raise 
funds to provide free breast cancer screening for low-income women. 
Over the years, Vola has been the recipient of countless honors and 
awards and citations. Most recently, Washingtonian Magazine named Vola 
a Washingtonian of the Year for 1999, and she was inducted into 
Virginia's Women's Hall of Fame in 1993.
  I count myself among those who have been very privileged and honored 
to have served with Vola in the Alexandria city government. She is a 
great friend. Her legacy of compassion, her dedication, and her 
fortitude will long be associated with the city of Alexandria and 
public service in general. She has enhanced the entire profession. She 
will be remembered for that, as well as her humor and her uncanny 
ability to get to the heart of seemingly byzantine issues.
  The city of Alexandria and I will miss Vola. I am sure her retirement 
presents more opportunities for her to have an even greater and more 
positive impact upon the lives of Alexandrians and all of those 
throughout the metropolitan Washington community. She is a very, very 
special person. I wish there were more people like her. I wish she was 
not retiring, but I am happy for her, as she deserves a little rest and 
a lot more appreciation. She is wonderful, and I am proud to have this 
opportunity to say a few words about her on the floor of the House of 
Representatives.

                          ____________________