[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 128 (Friday, October 13, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1785]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO BETSY CROWDER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 12, 2000

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor 
Betsy Crowder, a well-known and loved constituent who distinguished 
herself in so many ways and whose life was cut short on September 29, 
2000.
  Born in Boston, Betsy Crowder's love and appreciation for the 
environment developed early on when her parents would take their four 
daughters on camping trips in Canada during the summer. She met her 
late husband Dwight in 1949, when they were both members of the 
Stanford University Alpine Club and they were married a year later. In 
1960, the Crowders built a home in Portola Valley and became very 
active in local conservation issues.
  Betsy Crowder served on numerous County and local advisory committees 
for land use and trails including the Portola Valley Conservation 
Committee, the San Mateo County Trails Advisory Committee, the Bay Area 
Ridge Trail Council, the San Mateo County Bikeways Advisory Committee, 
the Committee for Green Foothills and the Planning and Conservation 
League.
  Betsy Crowder also served as a Planning Commissioner for Portola 
Valley from 1972 to 1977 and as an environmental planner for the City 
of Palo Alto from 1972 to 1980.
  Since 1989, she was a member of the elected Board of Directors of the 
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD), including two years 
as President of the Board in 1993 and 1998. During her tenure on the 
Board, MROSD's lands grew from 32,000 acres to 43,000 acres and she was 
a very active member on MROSD's Coastal Advisory Commission for the 
District's plan to annex the San Mateo County Coast.
  Mr. Speaker, Betsy Crowder was an exceptionally kind and selfless 
woman dedicated to her family, her community and her country. Her 
tireless commitment and stewardship of the environment inspired 
everyone. She lives on through her two children, two grandchildren, 
three sisters, 15 nieces and nephews, and through all of us who were 
blessed to be part of her life.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I ask my colleagues to 
join me in paying tribute to a uniquely wonderful woman who lived a 
life of purpose and to extend our deepest sympathy to her daughters, 
Wendy and Anne, and the entire Crowder family.

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