[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 133 (Thursday, November 18, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S11491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO A DISTINGUISHED IOWA EDUCATOR, ANGIE KING

 Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, one of the great joys of my job as 
Senator is working closely with talented, dedicated Iowans from all 
walks of life. I take a moment to salute one of those exceptional 
people, one of Iowa's most distinguished public educators, Angie King.
  Angie King has dedicated her life to children and public education, 
first as a classroom teacher, later as two-term president of the 
32,000-member Iowa State Education Association, and, until her 
retirement this week, as a senior staff member of that Association.
  The fact is that, as an educator-leader, Angie King speaks with a 
special authority that can only come from decades of experience on the 
front line as a classroom teacher. For 21 years, she taught elementary 
students in the Des Moines public schools. Of all the titles Angie King 
has held in the course of her career, she prizes none more highly than 
the simple title of ``teacher.''
  Angie King, as a teacher, leader and advocate is one reason why Iowa 
public schools are among the most respected and highest achieving in 
the United States. The marketplace claims that you get what you pay 
for. But in Iowa, when it comes to teachers, we get far, far better 
than we pay for. Despite modest salaries, my state is blessed with an 
extraordinary cadre of talented teachers. And most folks in Iowa know 
this and appreciate it. We hold our teachers in special esteem. And 
we're grateful for the long hours--and the generous hearts that they 
bring to their jobs.
  For many people, there is a defining moment in their careers. For 
Angie King, that moment came one day in 1972 when she missed a staff 
meeting at her elementary school. The next day, she discovered she has 
been elected in absentia to serve as a local representative of the Des 
Moines Education Association. Some people are born leaders; some people 
pursue leadership; and some people have leadership thrust upon them. 
That's what happened to Angie King. But she embraced her new role and 
responsibilities with energy and excellence.
  As an association representative, she became more interested in the 
world of education beyond the four walls of her own classroom. She 
became a tireless activist, going on to serve as vice president of the 
Des Moines Education Association, a charter member of the ISEA Women's 
Caucus, an elected member of ISEA's executive committee, and, in 1985, 
chair of the ISEA Political Action Committee.
  In 1990, Angie King was elected to serve the first of two terms as 
president of the Iowa State Education Association. She was one of a 
handful of women in history to be elected ISEA president, and the first 
elementary school teacher to hold that office.
  In her farewell address at the conclusion of her second term in 1994, 
Angie King shared one of her favorite quotes from Albert Camus: ``In 
the midst of winter I find there is in me an invincible summer.'' 
``That simple statement,'' she told the ISEA Delegate Assembly, 
``captures the very essence of who we are and what we do. In every 
child there is an invincible summer. It is our responsibility to 
nurture it and to foster it. And in each one of us there is, too, an 
invincible summer. It's what keeps us going back day after day, year 
after year, in the midst of sometimes very cold and dreary 
conditions.''
  Since 1994, Angie King has served as the political action specialist 
for the Iowa State Education Association. With her retirement this 
week, she concludes a distinguished career in public education spanning 
three and a half decades.
  Angie King has made a real difference as a dedicated teacher, leader, 
and champion of public education. I know that she is looking forward to 
spending time nurturing the garden she has neglected while nurturing 
the children of Iowa. I am deeply grateful for her service, and I wish 
her all the best in the years ahead.

                          ____________________