[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 151 (Tuesday, November 15, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2363]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING MADELINE DUCKLES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 15, 2005

  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life 
and work of Madeline Duckles of Berkeley, California. A longtime peace 
activist and community leader, Ms. Duckles will soon celebrate her 90th 
birthday, an occasion which will coincide with the 90th Anniversary of 
a group in which she has been active for several decades, the Women's 
International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).
  Born in Loomis, California, Ms. Duckles was the youngest of five 
children. After her older siblings left for school, Madeline went to 
live with her school music teacher in a household filled with 
opportunities to read books, learn music, and explore the outdoors. In 
this household she was encouraged to attend a university despite the 
opposition of her father, who felt that sending a girl to college was a 
waste of money. Ms. Duckles nonetheless went on to attend college, 
graduating in 1937.
  At that time Ms. Duckles also became involved at the local YWCA, 
which at that time was the only place where she was able to discuss 
social issues. She received much of her early political education 
through the time she spent there, which coincided with the Spanish 
Civil War and a high incidence of labor strikes on the domestic front.
  Upon her graduation, Ms. Duckles left California for New York City, 
where she married Vincent Duckles, who was doing graduate work at 
Columbia. Over the next several years they moved around to several 
different states while Vincent completed his studies and they both 
worked a number of jobs, working at different times as teachers, in 
retail service and other industries.
  Eventually they returned to Berkeley, California, which is where Ms. 
Duckles became active in WILPF. Still outraged at the Japanese 
internment and the use of atomic weapons against Japan in World War II, 
she was part of a group of women who in 1961 went on strike across the 
country to protest atmospheric nuclear tests. Another issue of growing 
concern among these women was the increasing involvement of the United 
States in Vietnam, an issue regarding which Ms. Duckles would become 
progressively more active in years to come.
  Even with five children to care for, Ms. Duckles devoted immeasurable 
amounts of time and energy into the movement for peace and justice in 
the years that followed. She attended meetings with the World Council 
of Peace in Europe and Asia, and even went on a speaking tour through 
Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. Even following the Vietnam 
War, Ms. Duckles has remained an outspoken advocate for peace and 
justice for all people throughout the world, continuing to travel and 
host international delegations of visitors to the United States as 
well.
  This week Ms. Duckles' friends and family come together to celebrate 
her many years of activism, and the immeasurable impact she has had on 
our community. On behalf of the California's 9th U.S. Congressional 
District, I salute and thank Madeline Duckles for her many years of 
work toward creating a peaceful world for all.

                          ____________________