[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 64 (Thursday, May 1, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E855-E856]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        A TRIBUTE TO FRANCES F. LEE--EDUCATOR, LEADER, ACTIVIST

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 1, 2003

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleagues to join me 
in paying tribute to Frances F. Lee, a remarkable woman who has devoted 
her life to community service and social progress. Her contributions--
as an educator, nonprofit leader, and principled activist--merit our 
admiration.
  Ms. Lee recently announced her retirement as Vice Chancellor of 
Instruction at the City College of San Francisco (CCSF), a 
distinguished institution that is one of the largest community colleges 
in the world. As a former educator, I can only imagine the challenges 
she faced in enhancing CCSF's academic stature and helping thousands of 
Bay Area men and women to realize their educational dreams. Ms. Lee's 
reputation for achievement reflects her success in these endeavors. As 
a resolution of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently noted: 
``Frances F. Lee served with dignity, distinction and grace and

[[Page E856]]

won universal respect and admiration of faculty, staff, students, 
administrators and community leaders.'' Mr. Speaker, I share this view 
wholeheartedly.
  Frances Lee's contributions to the CCSF community make up only one 
part of her extraordinary forty-year legacy to the City of San 
Francisco. A dedicated social worker, she acted as Executive Director 
of the Chinese Newcomers Service Center for more than a decade, where 
she used her talents to educate America's newest residents about our 
language and society. Ms. Lee has also been a civil rights champion in 
the Bay Area, serving on the Board of Directors of Chinese for 
Affirmative Action for the past 19 years and fighting to open the doors 
of America's schools and businesses to all Americans, regardless of 
race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation.
  The causes and organizations to which Frances Lee has devoted herself 
mirror the breadth of her passion. From the Center for Southeast Asian 
Refugees to the San Francisco Bilingual Vocational Training Program, 
her commitment to the Bay Area community has enriched our lives.
  Mr. Speaker, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors has declared May 
9th as ``Frances Lee Day'' in the City and County of San Francisco. I 
ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the achievements of this 
outstanding woman, and in congratulating her on her retirement.

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