[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 58 (Thursday, May 5, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E889-E890]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING DR. ALICE S. PAUL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RAUL M. GRIJALVA

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 5, 2005

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Dr. Alice S. 
Paul, an exceptional citizen of my community, our country, and the 
Tohono O'odham Nation. Dr. Paul's life, which unfortunately ended too 
soon on May 3, 2005, exemplifies the impact of public education at a 
time when we need to speak about its power.
  Dr. Alice Paul is a product of public education and leaves a legacy 
of its worth. As a life-time educator, she extended the power of public 
education far beyond her own experience. Her focus was early childhood 
education, and she traveled widely helping communities improve their 
early childhood educational systems. Her work had direct impact on the 
lives of young children and their families throughout the United 
States, from rural Alaska to urban New Jersey. After her retirement she 
even served as a consultant to the Taiwanese educational system.
  Alice Paul accomplished many firsts. She was the first Tohono O'odham 
to receive a doctorate degree and the first to teach in Tucson Unified 
School District. She was rooted in her tribal identity, but her 
openness reached far beyond. Whether meeting Native or non-Native 
people, Americans or Chinese, Christians or Muslims, her strong and 
gentle wisdom left a positive mark--because of who she was.
  Combining her exceptional personal qualities, life experiences, and 
academic expertise, Dr. Paul touched individuals, organizations, and 
institutions. She was a classroom teacher. She was a Field 
Representative of Tucson's Early Education Model and later Director of 
its Follow Through Program which worked with former Head Start children 
and their families through the third grade. She was a University of 
Arizona Associate Professor of Education, and she served as head of its 
Department of Teaching and Teacher Education. In later years, she was a 
member of the Arizona State Museum Board of Directors. She was Chair of 
the T'ohono O'odham Community College Board of Trustees and realized 
its accreditation. The honors she received over the years would fill a 
page.

[[Page E890]]

  Initially, she postponed finishing college when the family could not 
afford to send both her and her younger brother to college. She joined 
the United States Navy where she met Richard Paul. When they married in 
1952, it was illegal for a Native American and a non-Native American to 
marry in Arizona, so they traveled to New Mexico for a civil ceremony 
before returning to Tucson for a church wedding at Southside 
Presbyterian Church. Dr. Paul grew up as a member of that faith 
community and served as an Elder for over 50 years. Her leadership 
abilities were recognized by the wider church, and she was elected 
Moderator of Presbytery de Cristo, was a consultant to the Presbyterian 
Church (U.S.A.) regarding its Christian education curriculum for 
children, and served on the national church's Task Force on Reparations 
and its Commission on Preparation for Ministry.
  Dr. Paul had a wide world view which allowed her to rise above 
conflict. She saw real problems and shared her opinions, but in a way 
which did not demean or incapacitate those with whom she disagreed. She 
credited her parents, Jones and Marianna Narcho, with teaching her the 
value of generosity and service. Once when asked how she happened to 
get a doctorate degree, Dr. Paul laughed and said, ``My mother told me 
to learn all I could.''
  As a Native American, Dr. Paul observed and experienced serious 
inequities and violations of civil rights. She recalled that her father 
was arrested when he had a stroke on the sidewalk in front of their 
home. Because he was an Indian, the police presumed him to be drunk, 
and he died in jail of wounds that could never be explained. Even 
though the pain of that recollection stayed fresh, she used all her 
life experiences to become the outstanding woman she was.
  As a Congressional District, as Nations, we could not be more 
privileged than to have had Dr. Alice Paul live and work among us.

                          ____________________