[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 90 (Tuesday, June 26, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMEMORATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LAURA INGALLS WILDER LIBRARY

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                          HON. JO ANN EMERSON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 26, 2001

  Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor and pride that I 
stand before the House today in observance of the 50th Anniversary of 
the Laura Ingalls Wilder Library. The Laura Ingalls Wilder Library is 
located in Mansfield, Missouri, a small town in Missouri's Eighth 
Congressional District.
  Many will remember with great fondness the Laura Ingalls Wilder 
books. In fact many of us or our children grew up reading her accounts 
of life in the great outdoors. She wrote simply and vividly--with such 
detail that her accounts of pioneer life have become the way that many 
of us view life on the Midwestern frontier. Through her writing, Laura 
Ingalls Wilder provided us with a chronology of life during the Pioneer 
days that has allowed us to preserve a lost era in American history.
  But Laura Ingalls Wilder did more than just evoke a love for the 
rural way of life in her writing. Through her writing, she instilled a 
love of reading and over time that love of reading was translated into 
action as she became a tireless advocate for our public libraries.
  In rural America, public libraries are not just a luxury or a 
convenience, they are a way of life. Most small towns don't have a 
Barnes and Noble and many folks don't have access to Amazon.com.
  As a result, the tireless endeavors of the Laura Ingalls Wilder's of 
today are keeping Ms. Wilder's efforts alive. In Wright County, the 
community is working in a cooperative and most inspiring manner to 
create the Laura Ingalls Wilder Library and Community Center, an 
expanded library that will provide a technology and community center. 
The center will give folks the opportunity to embark on a journey of 
learning and to inspire adults and children with a love for reading.
  Mr. Speaker, on this very special occasion, I ask that all of my 
colleagues join me in recognizing the 50th Anniversary of the Laura 
Ingalls Wilder Library. May the blessings of the last 50 years serve as 
a vision for the next 50 years.

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