[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 63 (Thursday, May 16, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E826-E827]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO RUTH NAGLER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 15, 2002

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ruth Nagler 
for her public service on the occasion of her 80th birthday on May 21, 
2002. In addition to being a mother and grandmother, Mrs. Nagler has 
devoted much of her long and full life in service to her community.

[[Page E827]]

  Mrs. Nagler was born in Brooklyn, New York, and received her 
undergraduate degree from the College of the City of New York (now the 
City University of New York) in 1943, and then a Master of Arts in 
education from New York University in 1945.
  Continuing her inclination towards education, Mrs. Nagler was elected 
to the San Mateo City Elementary School District Board of Trustees in 
1963. She served in that body until 1973, and served as Chairman of the 
Board from 1965-1967. She was also appointed by the San Mateo City 
Council to sit on the San Mateo City Library Board of Trustees from 
1963 to 1970. She also served as the Director of Community Education 
for Canada College in Redwood City from June 1968, when the campus 
originally opened, to June 1980. She then worked as the Director of 
Community Education for San Mateo County Community College from July 
1980 to January 1988.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that the success and vitality of a community 
is dependent on the actions and involvement of its citizens. I can 
think of no better example of a concerned and dynamic participant than 
Ruth Nagler. Ruth has shown a commitment to public service well beyond 
her enormous contribution in the field of education. She served on the 
Mills Peninsula Hospitals Board of Trustees from 1975 to the present, 
and is currently the Chair of the Joint Conference Committee. She is 
also the chair of the Friends of the Advisory Committee on Women, a 
position to which she was appointed in November 1986 by the Advisory 
Council on Women of San Mateo County. She is a member of the Board of 
Directors of the Women's Center of San Mateo County and is the chair of 
the San Mateo Performing Arts Center Board of Directors (SAMPAC).
  Mrs. Nagler's history of community service is indeed long and 
distinguished. From 1976 to 1986 she was a member of the Executive 
Board of the Human Investment Project (HIP) of San Mateo County, and 
served as the chair of that organization from 1984 to 1985. She was 
also on the Executive Board of the San Mateo County Women's Recovery 
Association from 1973 to 1984. Mrs. Nagler was a member of the 
Communications Committee of the San Mateo County American Cancer 
Society, aided the San Mateo City Citizens Task Force to Study Needs of 
Seniors, and participated in the United Crusade Sponsored Citizens Task 
Force to Study Educational Needs in South San Mateo County. She was 
also a key member of the Executive Board and Planning Committee for the 
San Mateo County American Revolution Bicentennial Committee from 1974-
1976.
  In addition to her elected and appointed leadership in these many 
community service organizations, Mrs. Nagler has been a member of the 
League of Women Voters since 1951 and served as president of the San 
Mateo League from 1959 to 1961. She has also been a member of the San 
Mateo branch of the American Association of University Women since 
1965, and was a member of the San Carlos Branch from 1976 to 1979. 
Other memberships include Women's Resource Center in Palo Alto (since 
1973), the Redwood City Soroptimists Club (1976-1977), the Program 
Committee of the San Mateo County Planned Parenthood Association (1970-
1971), the United Nations Association of San Mateo County, and the San 
Mateo Parents Cooperative Nursery School (1952-1956). The Naglers also 
served in 1965 as a host family for the Experiment in International 
Living.
  Mr. Speaker, those who know Ruth Nagler well admire her for her 
dedication and service. Her years of commitment to community have not 
gone unnoticed by those with whom she has worked. She has received 
numerous awards and recognitions, of which I will mention just a few. 
Mrs. Nagler was admitted to the San Mateo County Women's Hall of Fame 
in 1988. She received a bicentennial award in 1976 from the Trinity 
Baptist Church of San Mateo in ``recognition of extraordinary 
accomplishment and outstanding contribution to community education and 
cultural advancement and strengthening of home and family life.'' In 
1976 she was honored by the Japanese-American Citizens League of San 
Mateo County with the Community Services Award ``for appreciation and 
recognition for outstanding leadership to the community.'' She has also 
received the San Mateo Elementary Teachers Association Community 
Services Award (1973), the Girls Club of the Mid-Peninsula Community 
Services Award ``for outstanding leadership and contributions to the 
community'' (1973), and the Civil de Hidalgo Certificate of 
Appreciation for work related to the human rights and education of 
Hispanic adults and children (1972). She was also given the Special 
Services Award by minority parents and students of the San Mateo City 
School District for ``long and devoted services to the youth of San 
Mateo and dedicated service to the integrated learning process'' in 
recognition of her work from 1961 to 1973.
  The Park, Foster City and Audubon schools of the San Mateo City 
Elementary District, the Canada College Patrons Association, and the 
San Mateo County Community College District have granted Mrs. Nagler 
honorary life membership in the PTA. Mrs. Nagler's perpetual devotion 
to education was also duly recognized by friends and supporters who 
established the Ruth K. Nagler Scholarship Fund at the conclusion of 
her service on the San Mateo Elementary School Board of Trustees.
  Mr. Speaker, it is clear that Ruth K. Nagler's enormous service to 
our community are worthy of our praise and commendation. As a Member of 
Congress, I am proud to pay tribute to Ruth K. Nagler, who has taken 
such a firm and intense interest in those around her in our area. I 
join her many friends and admirers in the Bay Area in honoring her on 
her 80th birthday, and wish her many happy, healthy, and successful 
years to come.

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