[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 170 (Friday, November 21, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2365-E2366]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO MRS. HELEN EVERSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. TAMMY BALDWIN

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 20, 2003

  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my congratulations 
to Mrs. Helen Everson, who has been selected as Edgerton Rotary's 
Honored Citizen of the Year. Helen and her husband, Harland Everson, 
purchased the Edgerton Reporter, in 1951 and made the risky yet 
insightful decision to change from hot type to offset printing, the 
first paper in Wisconsin to do so. I rise today to pay tribute to a 
constituent whose life-long commitment to serving her community as an 
entrepreneur, philanthropist, and mother serves as a shining example to 
us all.
  Helen was raised on a 5,000-acre sheep ranch in northwestern South 
Dakota and attended a two-room country school until her graduation. 
Helen's professional experience began at Keating Buick where she 
quickly gained greater responsibility and expertise and eventually 
became the Secretary-Treasurer of the car dealership.
  Helen's life would change dramatically after she met and married 
Harland. The couple tackled the challenges of operating a growing and 
award-winning newspaper, in addition to raising a family. Harland and 
Helen's daughters, Carol and Diane, are both accomplished women in 
their own right. Carol is an associate professor at the Medical College 
of Wisconsin and Diane is the publisher of the Edgerton Reporter and 
past president of the National Newspaper Association.
  Diane describes her mother as a ``heat seeking missile with boundless 
energy.'' She is still a tireless advocate for civic development and 
the Edgerton community. Under her leadership of Edgerton's annual 
Tobacco Heritage Days, the celebration grew in popularity and became 
profitable for the first time. For an

[[Page E2366]]

impressive 52 years, the Everson family has been the steward of one of 
the state's only independent newspapers.
  Mr. Speaker, I join the Edgerton Rotary and the Edgerton community in 
recognizing Helen Everson's achievements and congratulate her as she 
accepts the Honored Citizen of the Year award.

                          ____________________