[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 176 (Tuesday, December 9, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2508]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO ROSE PELLGRIN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GINNY BROWN-WAITE

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 8, 2003

  Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor 
Rose Pellgrin, a dedicated, loving mother in my Fifth Congressional 
District of Florida. At 91 years old, Rose continues to be a shining 
example of devotion and selflessness for mothers young and old.
  In 1949 at the age of 40, Rose Pellgrin became a mother to a baby 
girl she named Marian. Unfortunately Marian was born with a mental 
disability and Rose was advised that she would not live very long. Her 
doctors even told her to have another child and to not worry about 
Marian.
  Rose insisted that she would raise Marian and did just that. She 
raised Marian despite several obstacles. When her husband's affliction 
with cancer forced the family to move from her native New York to 
central Florida, Rose learned that there was no school in the area for 
mentally disabled children. She then had to drive Marian to a school at 
the Key Training Center, nearly an hour away.
  When her husband's cancer finally took his life, Rose had to make the 
difficult decision to place Marian at the Key Training Center to live 
and return to teaching, retiring at the age of 82.
  Years later a nephew of Rose's who had a fondness for Marian died and 
left his inheritance to the women. Rose took the inheritance and bought 
a house with it. The house, which will become a licensed group home, 
will be maintained by the Key Training Center as one of its own group 
homes. This made it possible for Marian, and two other disabled adults, 
to have a place to live.
  Mr. Speaker, with this act Rose Pellgrin made an incredible donation 
to the Key Center and to her daughter. What's more amazing is that she 
views it as nothing special, but as what mothers do for their children.
  I am honored to be her representative in Congress and want to take a 
moment before this body today to call attention to her sacrifice and 
devotion to her daughter. We should all be so lucky as to have a mother 
like Rose.

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