[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 178 (Thursday, December 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2376]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE MEMORY OF THE HONORABLE ANNETTE MORGAN, FORMER MISSOURI 
                          STATE REPRESENTATIVE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KAREN McCARTHY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 20, 2001

  Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Annette 
Morgan, whose death on December 18, 2001, is an immeasurable loss to 
our community, the State of Missouri, and our nation. Annette touched 
the lives of the people who knew her and the people she fought for as a 
State Representative in the Missouri General Assembly. A stalwart 
champion of the education needs of our children, she has left an 
indelible mark on countless lives. The school communities of Missouri 
have Annette Morgan to thank for many of the pioneering reforms 
established during her tenure as a State Representative and during her 
career as a champion for quality education.
  Throughout her career, Annette Morgan was a dedicated public servant, 
committed to our community and dedicated to our children. A lifelong 
resident of the state of Missouri, Annette Morgan grew up in Kennett. 
She earned degrees at the University of Missouri-Columbia and the 
University of Missouri-Kansas City in social work and adult and 
continuing education. Annette pursued a teaching career that began in 
the Bootheel, helping migrant workers. She later taught at William 
Chrisman High School in Independence and was coordinator of adult and 
continuing education at Avila College.
  Annette and I shared many memorable moments when we served together 
in the General Assembly for 14 years. We enjoyed cherished morning 
walks that allowed us to reflect upon the issues of the day and of our 
lives. Our commutes to Jefferson City by Amtrak and auto provided us 
the opportunity to devise successful strategies for legislative 
challenges and delight in the victories these strategies achieved. Our 
apartment afforded late night gatherings of women members of the House 
and Senate that strengthened our resolve and enabled us to forge 
lasting bonds.
  Politics and government ran in Morgan's blood. Her father, John 
Noble, was a 16-year state senator from Kennett in the Bootheel. Her 
grandfather, John Bradley, served on the Missouri Supreme Court. And 
her mother, Alletha Noble, was a lawyer and a teacher. Because of her 
heartfelt interest in serving our community and state, Annette Morgan 
was elected to the Missouri State Legislature in 1980 and served in the 
House for 16 years. She earned the Chairmanship of the Missouri House 
Education Committee in 1985, and it was in this capacity that she 
embraced the task of shaping major education reform that would improve 
school policy in Missouri. She advocated for education policies that 
set high academic standards for elementary and secondary students, and 
she fought to give each local school district the same opportunity for 
state funds. Serving as both a commissioner on the Education Commission 
of the States and a member of its steering committee, Annette Morgan 
was able to affect education policy on a national scale and use this 
expertise to benefit education in Missouri. She went on to serve as Co-
chair of the Missouri Commission on the Future of Teaching and as a 
Member of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, and 
was a leader in key education reform legislation in Missouri, including 
the Excellence in Education Act in 1985 and the Outstanding Schools Act 
of 1993. The Outstanding Schools Act contained lasting school reform to 
improve the state's formula for distributing money to schools and 
increase funding. The major education reforms to schools during the 
1985-1995 decade are a credit to her persistence and unwavering 
commitment to the cause she loved. A former public school teacher and 
dedicated education advocate, she was the recipient of many honors and 
awards as her abilities as a leader, educator, legislator, and 
outstanding citizen were recognized by numerous groups. She was 
recently named to the Jackson County Honor Role, honoring the top 175 
Jackson Countians in celebration of the county's 175th anniversary. 
Annette's legislative victories were not limited to education. She 
initiated legislation that authorized the first 24-hour skilled nursing 
facility in the Midwest for HIV-AIDS patients.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in expressing sympathy to her loving 
family; her son John Allen Morgan, daughter-in-law Veronica; daughter 
Katherine Morgan Campbell, son-in-law David, granddaughter Alexis 
Morgan Campbell; and loving friend William P. Mackle. Her love of 
family and friends will be forever remembered. She will live on in all 
those whose lives she touched.

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