[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 26, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E85]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    RETIREMENT TRIBUTE TO JUDY HART

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 26, 2005

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to invite 
my colleagues to recognize Judy Hart who is retiring after a 27-year 
career with the National Park Service.
  Judy Hart is the first superintendent of Rosie the Riveter/World War 
II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California. The 
legislation creating the new national park was signed by the President 
October 24, 2000, and Ms. Hart began as Superintendent on January 15, 
2001. Prior to becoming Superintendent Judy coordinated the study for 
the new park. Judy has been instrumental in moving the Rosie the 
Riveter National Park from concept to reality. She is the latest in a 
long list of remarkable women whose contributions here have shaped 
American history. She has devoted the last 4 years of her career to 
laying the foundation for a National Park that is not only a part of 
Richmond's unique heritage, but that also symbolizes a national effort 
to recognize the women whose important Home Front contributions helped 
win World War II and also changed the way our Nation thinks about civil 
rights, child care, health care and labor rights. Judy has skillfully 
brought together a large group of partners to make this effort a 
success. The challenges Judy has faced and the obstacles she has 
overcome are even more remarkable because, as a ``partnership park,'' 
all of the land and buildings are owned by entities other than the 
National Park Service, and the federal funds available for start-up are 
limited. Working with a number of grants, volunteers and her public and 
private donors, Judy will turn over to her successor a sound structure 
on which to build.
  Her accomplishments at RRNP include the following: overseeing the 
implementation of the General Management Plan process which she also is 
coordinating with the City of Richmond's general plan amendment; worked 
with the Port of Richmond to open Shipyard #3 to visitors; worked on 
the National Register nominations for all structures but one within the 
Park; and developed Phases one and two for oral histories of home front 
workers. Over 9,000 Rosies have contacted the Park to share their names 
and short stories. After connecting with the Park, over 2,000 Rosies 
have written out the whole story of their home front adventures, up to 
55 typed pages from one Rosie. Over 2,000 Rosies have donated their 
precious mementos, treasured for over 50 years, and now delivered to 
the safekeeping of the Park.
  Her career in the Park Service spans 27 years. Prior to moving to 
California for this new position, Ms. Hart worked for 12 years in the 
Washington, D.C. headquarters. She was the first National Program 
Coordinator for the National Heritage Areas which are partnership areas 
privately owned and managed in cooperation with the NPS. Previous to 
that Ms. Hart developed the Conservation Study Institute, now operated 
in partnership with the University of Vermont and the new Marsh 
Billings National Historical Park in Woodstock, Vermont. Ms. Hart 
served in the Washington Office of Legislation for 6 years, supporting 
the creation of Petroglyphs National Monument, Marsh Billings National 
Historical Park, the Mary McLeod Bethune National Historic Site, and 
Manzanar National Historic Site, as well as many other park units.

  Ms. Hart lived for 6 years in Seneca Falls, NY, and was the first 
superintendent of the Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca 
Falls, after suggesting the idea, working on the study and working on 
the legislation. Prior to that Ms. Hart worked on park legislation out 
of the Regional office in Boston, MA.
  Prior to her career with the Park Service, Ms. Hart worked for the 
Boston Redevelopment Authority, City of Boston, and the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts, as Director of the Bureau of Relocation. She also worked 
for the Federal Highway Administration on Environmental Impact 
Statement reviews.
  She began her career in publishing at Little, Brown and Company, and 
as a company newsletter editor for the Boston Safe Deposit and Trust 
Company, both in Boston. Her graduate degree is in English Literature 
from Cornell University, and her graduate degree is a Master of Arts in 
law from Goddard College in Vermont.
  Mr. Speaker, because of Ms. Hart's many contributions to preserving 
and interpreting our Nation's history, it is proper for us, and it is 
my honor, to recognize her today.

                          ____________________