[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 39 (Thursday, March 22, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E428]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN HONOR OF GINA PENNESTRI

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 22, 2001

  Ms. PELOSI. Ms. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the late Gina 
Pennestri, a fighter without equal who recently passed away in San 
Francisco. Gina was known and loved in San Francisco for her sharp mind 
and soft heart. She was forceful, dedicated, and absolutely committed 
to the constituents and elected officials she served.
  Gina was always fighting for a cause. After her graduation from 
George Washington University, she worked to secure the right to vote 
for the residents of Washington, D.C. Soon after, she joined the War 
effort as Chief of Employee Relations for all civilian employees 
stationed from England to North Africa during World War II. She then 
helped coordinate the Berlin Airlift, working to ensure that 
humanitarian assistance was delivered to those who needed it.
  By 1951, Gina had settled in San Francisco and started a family. 
Raising her son, Marc, Gina became involved with political issues and 
in the community. She fought a planned highway through Golden Gate 
Park, she worked in the conservation movement to protect areas from 
development, and she volunteered in public schools and libraries to 
help educate San Francisco's children. Along with many San Franciscans, 
she joined the civil rights movement and opposed the Vietnam War.
  In 1967, she became an aide to then-Assemblyman, and current State 
Senate President Pro Tempore, John Burton. She soon rose to be the 
Chief of Staff of his San Francisco office and remained in the position 
when Mr. Burton was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 
1974. When Mr. Burton retired from the U.S. House, Gina worked on the 
campaign for his successor, Barbara Boxer, and then became her chief of 
staff. When Congresswoman Boxer became Senator Boxer, she again turned 
to Gina to run her San Francisco office.
  In her career with State Senator Burton and Senator Boxer, Gina 
became widely respected for her ability, her tenacity, and her fidelity 
to her principles. Utterly dedicated to helping those in need, she was 
a fearsome opponent and a trusted friend. She will be greatly missed by 
those who knew her and by everyone for whom she fought.
  My thoughts and prayers are with her son and daughter-in-law, Marc 
and Nancy Zimmerman, and her grandchildren, Laura and Daniel, to whom 
she was devoted.

                          ____________________