[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 127 (Tuesday, September 16, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1795]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN RECOGNITION OF ELEANOR KAHLE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARCY KAPTUR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 16, 2003

  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, September 2003 brings with it the 25th 
anniversary of the Eleanor M. Kahle Senior Center in our district. 
Starting life as the West Toledo Senior Center, it was renamed in 1995 
upon the passing of its founder and guiding light, Mrs. Eleanor Kahle 
of Toledo, who passed from this life at the age of 78 years young on 
August 13, 1995.
  In fact, a recognition of the senior center's milestone cannot be 
made without a tribute to its original inspiration: Eleanor Kahle, 
Polish-American by heritage, began her life on September 10, 1916, in 
what was then the small community of Sylvania outside of the city of 
Toledo. At the time of her death, she had become a citizen of the 
world. In all of the careers of her life--widowed wife and mother of 
six children, pastoral associate in the Roman Catholic Church, 
executive director of the West Toledo Senior Center, and elected 
official in the city of Toledo--Eleanor Kahle forged new ground. She 
delighted in the achievements of her sons and family. A devoted woman 
of the church, she became the first woman to serve as a pastoral 
associate, and essentially rose to the highest-ranking woman in the 
U.S. Roman Catholic Church at that time. In 1987, at the age of 70 when 
most people would not dream of making such a major change in their 
life, Eleanor Kahle began her stellar political career as an elected 
official, winning a seat on Toledo's city council, and eventually was 
elected the city's vice mayor. This work led to her involvement in 
Sister Cities International. Eleanor Kahle was a woman who drank deeply 
from life's cup. She was always planning, always working toward unmet 
horizons.
  In 1977, at the suggestion of Eleanor Kahle, a group of people in 
West Toledo got together to determine the needs of the area's 17,000 
seniors. Representatives from fourteen different service and church 
groups ``passed the hat'' and collected $12.47. On September 12, 1978, 
thirty founders ratified a Constitution, and West Toledo Senior People 
Inc. was born. They began to plan a center dedicated to meeting the 
needs of seniors in the neighborhoods of West Toledo. Under the Older 
Americans Act, such ``multi-purpose centers'' offered nutritional 
meals, learning opportunities, invigorating activities, and supportive 
services to elders in communities all across our Nation. Despite 
tremendous opposition, West Toledo Senior People doggedly pursued the 
creation of a senior citizens center. That dream became a reality in 
1979 with the birth of the thriving West Toledo Senior Center in the 
renovated Willys Park Shelter House. Over the following year, 620 
volunteers put in nearly 5,000 hours to make the shelter house the home 
of the West Toledo Senior Center. Eleanor Kahle was the center's first 
director, leading its growth until her retirement in 1993. Today that 
center stands, hundreds of seniors strong, housed in a large, expanded, 
pleasant building, as a true legacy to its founding members.
  Immediately, the West Toledo Senior Center made its reputation as an 
active, involved, savvy group of people dedicated to making life better 
not only for themselves but seniors as a whole and our community at 
large. For many years the West Toledo Senior Center was the largest in 
Toledo. Its members include people from every walk of life, multiple 
generations, and all corners of West Toledo. It is truly a neighborhood 
center, and all who enter are immediately swept up into activity, 
delight, and camaraderie. The center has weathered difficult times as 
well, as founding members and original activists aged, passed on, and a 
new crop of leaders emerged to direct the center in the 21st century. 
Even as its founders pass into memory, the Eleanor M. Kahle Senior 
Center retains their light, and it continues to be a beacon in our 
community.
  I join with the center's long time members and friends as we look 
back on a fruitful first 25 years, remembering old friends, special 
times, and inspiring moments. Yet, none will rest on the center's 
history nor the accomplishment of those who brought it to life, 
nurtured it, saw it through growing pains, and guide it into maturity. 
Rather, we cherish the first quarter century and look forward toward 
the bright horizon of tomorrow.

                          ____________________