[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 2 (Thursday, January 24, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E19]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        A TRIBUTE TO PEGGY KELLY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELTON GALLEGLY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 24, 2002

  Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to Peggy Kelly, who has 
been named the Santa Paula, CA, Citizen of the Year for 2001.
  It's unusual for a journalist to be named a city's Citizen of the 
Year, but then Peggy Kelly is an unusual journalist. Peggy believes 
that when a journalist picks up a notebook she does not simultaneously 
give up her civic responsibility to actively improve her community. Her 
rich and thorough reporting on the people and activities in Santa Paula 
reflect her profound understanding of the community--an understanding 
she cultivated through passionate and personal interactions with her 
neighbors throughout the 13 years she has called the city home.
  In a sense, I followed Peggy to Santa Paula. When I was first elected 
to Congress, Peggy lived in Thousand Oaks, which was then in my 
district. In 1992, I lost the majority of Thousand Oaks and picked up 
Santa Paula, ensuring that I would once again represent Peggy in the 
halls of Congress.
  And Peggy is the model of why I am proud to represent the people of 
the 23rd Congressional District of California. She is active in the 
local Rotary Club and has hosted many fundraising events for local 
nonprofit organizations, activities she undertakes with an ever-present 
smile and a sharp wit. When I attend an event in Santa Paula, I know 
Peggy will be there as well. When she talks to you, you know you have 
her full attention--a fact that's underlined when she puts it in 
writing.
  As a freelance journalist who works primarily for the Santa Paula 
Times, Peggy covers every aspect of the city--City Council, Planning 
Commission, and School Board meetings; Chamber of Commerce events; and 
virtually every other event where the people of Santa Paula gather. Her 
reporting has been described as being wrought by ``professionalism, 
balance and heartfelt love and admiration for the people she writes.''
  Mr. Speaker, Peggy Kelly is a credit to her profession and a godsend 
to her community. She is very deserving of the honor of being named 
Santa Paula's 2001 Citizen of the Year. I ask my colleagues to join me 
in congratulating her for a job well done.

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