[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 118 (Tuesday, September 20, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1891]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING MARY RUTHSDOTTER FOR INFLUENCING THE IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN'S 
                                HISTORY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 20, 2005

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my friend, Mary 
Ruthsdotter, of Sebastopol, California. Mary will be 61 years old on 
October 14, an appropriate occasion to reflect on her profound 
influence on the recognition of the historical importance of women in 
this country.
  In 1980, with Molly Murphy MacGregor, Maria Cuevas, Paula Hammett and 
Bette Morgan, Mary founded the National Women's History Project (NWHP) 
in Santa Rosa, California. It was both the fulfillment of a dream to 
organize a national clearinghouse and curriculum development center and 
the beginning of a sustained effort to celebrate the diverse and 
historic accomplishments of women.
  Mary's passion for women's issues began shortly after she moved to 
Sonoma County from southern California with her husband David Crawford 
and her daughter Alice. Although not previously involved in the 
burgeoning women's movement, she became interested after receiving a 
letter from the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Woman and 
volunteered to work for the group (she later became Chair). She soon 
realized the Commission could not provide all the needed services for 
women and was instrumental in organizing the nonprofit Women's Support 
Network to fill these gaps and operate as an umbrella agency for other 
groups.
  The NWHP, with the assistance of other supporters, spearheaded the 
movement for National Women's History Week leading to the designation 
of March as National Women's History Month in 1987. This designation 
raised the group's national profile; however, Mary's work with them 
involved much more.
  In the days when the Internet was not available for widespread 
communication, Mary established a nation-wide network and newsletter 
and was instrumental in providing resource materials and lists to 
schools. She co-produced a video series, Women in American Life, as 
well as the first video documenting the role of Latino women, Adelante, 
Mujeres. Publishers all over the country sent thousands of books as 
Mary coordinated book reviews on the subject of women in history. She 
later indexed all the selections and donated them to Sonoma State 
University. In fact, she still reads women's biographies for fun.
  Mary's can-do attitude, high energy, organization, and up-beat 
optimism are hallmarks of all aspects of her life. Several years ago 
she and her husband were leaders in organizing an ``intentional 
community,'' a co-housing project in Sebastopol, CA, where people of 
different ages and backgrounds could share in and enrich each other's 
lives. They have recently returned from visiting their daughter, son-
in-law, and grandson in Australia.
  Recently, Mary worked as a field representative for State 
Assemblymember Patricia Wiggins who described how creatively ``Mary 
never gave up when she was providing service and refused to let the 
bureaucracy interfere in her progress.'' When a local hospital 
encountered long delays from the State in securing certification for a 
newly hired physician, Mary got busy on the phone. When she asked where 
his application was in the stack, her contact replied, ``On the 
bottom.'' So, Mary said, ``Well, why don't you just put it on the 
top?'' The worker did, and the hospital received certification 
immediately. She was the heroine in many, many similar situations.
  Mr. Speaker, as Mary wrote in her article Women and Equal Rights, 
``Today, America is living the legacy of the great progress women have 
made, while their earnest quest for full and true equality continues.'' 
Mary Ruthsdotter exemplifies the passion and spirit behind this quest. 
She is a role model for young women and an inspiration for all of us. 
Thank you, Mary, for all you are and what you mean to so many.

                          ____________________