[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 54 (Friday, May 3, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E688-E689]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              IN MEMORY OF LENORE DEMANDANTE DOROMAL TUCK

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB ETHERIDGE

                            of nor carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 1, 2002

  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Lenore D. 
Tuck of Buies Creek, North Carolina, who died April 7, 2002. In her 
passing, North Carolina has lost one of its most outstanding citizens 
and I have lost a friend.
  As I began collecting my thoughts about Lenore and what she has meant 
to my family, and me, I realized how good God has been to me. He has 
seen fit, in His infinite wisdom, to place me on the same highway of 
life with some of the most talented, energetic, dedicated, noble human 
beings it was possible for Him to create. Then He made them my friends. 
Such a friend was Lenore Tuck. My wife Faye and I are doubly blessed by 
Lenore's life. Lenore was Faye's teacher at Campbell University and her 
inspiration. Lenore became her lifelong friend.
  Lenore was small of stature. But she was larger than life in the work 
she did, the friends she made, the causes she served, the good works 
she left scattered over Harnett County and North Carolina. She met 
every task with a smile as broad as the ocean; she fairly jumped with 
excitement when new work was laid before her. She was a devoted 
Democrat, the kind of person any candidate for office has to love. Once 
she is committed to you, there was no turning back, and she never 
dreamed you would not be successful. She had a way of making you 
believe in yourself. I have been in Congress now for more than five 
years. Until recently, Lenore has served in my Lillington office that 
entire five years. She brought to the job the same efficiency that was 
characteristic of her. Every telephone call was important; every 
constituent request necessitated action.
  We celebrate a great life lived to the fullest and of great 
consequence to our community and us. Her passing forces us to ponder 
the great issues of life and death as we say goodbye to our friend, 
Lenore. It has always seemed to me that when God puts us on this Earth, 
it is with the silent admonition that we work to leave the world better 
than we found it. Certainly, Lenore did so. Both in her home in the 
Philippines and in her adopted home in North Carolina. She was an 
uncommon woman who did uncommonly good work. And we were lucky that she 
walked among us.
  A native of the Philippines, Lenore came to the United States in 1953 
as a Tandang Sora Scholar. She received a degree in Home Economics from 
Radford College and a master's degree in nutrition from the University 
of Tennessee. Later she earned a master's degree in public health from 
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She taught home 
economics at Campbell University from 1965 until her retirement in 
1996.
  When she was honored by the Raleigh newspaper. News & Observer as 
``Tar Heel of the Week'' in November of 1979, she explained the 
philosophy that guided her active participation in her adopted 
community. ``It is very important to be a part of the community. I love 
Buies Creek and would never leave . . . If there is something here that 
needs to be done, I feel obligated to do it. And if I do it, I'm sure 
going to try to do it right.'' The people of Buies Creek would agree 
with me that Lenore always did it right.
  Nearly every existing organization benefiting the community had her 
support. Where there were unmet needs her organizing skill for meeting 
those needs was invaluable. In every area of her life, she made strong 
contributions. She was active in professional organizations: The 
American Dietetic Association, American Home Economics Association, 
American Association of University Professors and American Association 
of University Women. As a registered dietitian, she served as 
consultant to area hospitals and nursing homes. She helped organize and 
secure funding for the Harnett County Women, Infant and Children 
nutrition program.
  Her interest in children extended past nutrition. She was a Girl 
Scout troop leader and a Boy Scout den mother. She was a PTA member and 
president. As a charter member of Memorial Baptist Church, she provided 
the skills for establishing and organizing the Stokes Day Care Center, 
which has provided pre-school and after-school care for hundreds of 
children. She continued to serve the Center until her death. Her public 
health concerns included the lack of adequate water and sewer

[[Page E689]]

facilities in the county. She helped establish the Buies Creek Sewer 
District and later served on the Northeast Metro Water District Board.
  She was also on the organizing board of the Harnett County Habitat 
for Humanity. She served as president of the Dunn-Erwin Rotary Club, 
conducting their foreign exchange program and leading an exchange group 
back to her homeland in 1993. She was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow 
and was Rotarian of the Year in 1993. Also a member and past president 
of the Coats Kiwanis Club, she was honored as a George F. Hixson Fellow 
in 1999. Always interested in promoting and recognizing the work of 
women, Lenore was the county coordinator for the N.C. United for ERA. A 
devoted Democrat, she was a member and officer of the county and state 
Democratic Women. Last year she received the state Democratic Women's 
Star Award. Her political activism began long before she came to the 
United States.
  She grew up during the Japanese occupation of her homeland, where she 
became a patriot and resistance member. Later she was a member of 
CONDA, a YMCA-sponsored Congress to promote post-World War II 
understanding among students in the Asian countries. She served as 
president of the Congress, which is credited with the election of 
Romoan Magsaysay as President of the Philippines.
  Mr. Speaker, I marvel that any single human being could have been as 
active in so many agencies, organizations, and associations. Or that 
any single individual could have accomplished so much. Moreover, 
Lenore's accomplishments include being a mother to Dr. Paul D. Tuck, 
mother-in-law to Sarah Tuck, sister to Julia Borromero, as well as six 
brothers, and grandmother to Ryan, Hunter, Alden, and Karson Tuck. All 
of whom will truly miss her.
  I know that Lenore would not want us to be sad. I know that she would 
caution us that life is for the living, that day will follow the 
darkest of nights, and that we should leave this place with our spirits 
high, our hopes redeemed. I believe, based on what I knew about her, 
the life she lived, the successes she enjoyed, the way she loved life, 
she would want to say to us: ``Be happy, my friends. I went willingly 
into that long night.'' Heaven is a happier place since Lenore arrived. 
Lenore is rushing around greeting those who have gone before. She is 
already planning projects that, even in Heaven, need doing. She is 
seeking out children she can help, and planning her flower garden for 
this spring. Indeed, in this case, as the Bible tells us:
  ``O Death, where is thy sting? O Grave, where is thy victory?'' Amen.

                          ____________________