[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 157 (Wednesday, November 14, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2072]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         LARISSA JAFFE MEMORIAL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM MATHESON

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 14, 2001

  Mr. MATHESON. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sorrow that I rise today 
to speak of the death of Ms. Larissa Jaffe of Salt Lake City, Utah. Ms. 
Jaffe was a 63-year-old Peace Corp volunteer in Zimbabwe when she was 
killed in a suspected homicide. Although the two men who are believed 
to be the perpetrators of this heinous crime have been apprehended, the 
loss to Ms. Jaffe's family, the Peace Corps, and indeed, the United 
States is great.
  Ms. Jaffe is a perfect example of what every American should hope to 
be. A Russian immigrant, she had a strong commitment to education. When 
she became a naturalized citizen of the United States, she already held 
a PhD in geology from the Academy of Sciences in Moscow. While living 
in the US she obtained a Masters Degree in foreign language instruction 
and a technical degree in data processing. She was a certified teacher 
in Utah, a certified nursing assistant in California, and an emergency 
medical technician.
  While Ms. Jaffe lived a life of learning, she enjoyed teaching others 
as well. She was a teacher in Utah, Massachusetts and California. She 
had experience in medical research and even worked analyzing the 
effectiveness of health care institutions.
  In 1994 and 1995, she fulfilled her desires to travel by traveling to 
over two-dozen countries in a solo trek around the world. She visited 
South America and Southeast Asia extensively, and explored Morocco, 
Russia and Australia. Her desire for adventure culminated in her 
decision to give two years out of her life to serve in the Peace Corps 
in Zimbabwe.
  Of all that can be said of her, the words of Peace Corps Acting 
Deputy Director Lloyd Pierson are the most fitting. He said, ``Mrs. 
Jaffe's death is an enormous loss to Peace Corps. . . . From all that I 
have come to know about Mrs. Jaffe, she was industrious, innovative, 
creative and motivated. She was an inspiration and role model to her 
colleagues and the staff.''

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