[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 168 (Wednesday, November 19, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    TRIBUTE TO SISTER ANN McGOWAN, RSCJ--RECIPIENT OF THE 2003 ST. 
                      MADELEINE SOPHIE BARAT AWARD

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                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 18, 2003

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Sister Ann McGowan, 
RSCJ, a distinguished Californian, as she receives the 2003 St. 
Madeleine Sophie Barat Award. This award, named for the foundress of 
the Society of the Religious of the Sacred Heart, honors individuals 
who over a significant period of time have made extraordinary 
contributions to Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton. Founded in 1897, 
Sacred Heart Schools includes St. Joseph's School of the Sacred Heart 
and Sacred Heart Preparatory.
  Sister Ann McGowan, RSCJ, was born in Washington DC, and moved with 
her family to the West Coast when she was still a child. She attended 
La Jolla High School in San Diego and the San Diego College for Women, 
where she majored in Biology. She entered the Society of the Sacred 
Heart soon afterward, and spent her years as a novice at the Sacred 
Heart School in nearby El Cajon. She was given special permission to 
come to teach at St. Joseph's School, which was transitioning from 
being an all-boys parish school to being a co-ed Sacred Heart School.
  Sister McGowan loved working with boys during the day, pinning up the 
skirts of her habit to coach baseball in the afternoons, and working in 
the girls boarding school at night. In the fall of 1976, she began her 
tenure as Principal of St. Joseph's School, Preschool through 8th 
Grade, and the school prospered under her enlightened leadership for 16 
years. It was Sister McGowan's vision that the school pride itself on 
excellence in all areas, educating the whole child. She insisted on the 
highest standards for her students and for her faculty, and of course, 
for herself. Her eye for excellence helped to build one of the finest 
schools in the San Francisco Bay Area.
  Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to honor Sister McGowan's work, her values, 
and her deep love for her students. I ask my colleagues to join me in 
honoring Sister Ann McGowan, RCSJ, as she receives the 2003 St. 
Madeleine Sophie Barat Award for her extraordinary contributions to 
Sacred Heart Schools.

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