[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 97 (Friday, July 21, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1483-E1484]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 A TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF RUTH McKENRY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 20, 2006

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and remember the life 
of Ruth McKenry. She was an exemplary woman and a premier advocate for 
health care and the agriculture industry in the Valley. She passed away 
on June 2, 2006.
  Ruth McKenry was a native of New York. She graduated from Bellevue 
School of Nursing in 1943 and became a U.S. Navy Nurse Corps Lt.j.g. 
serving from 1944 to 1946. Soon after being honorably discharged in 
1946, she moved to California with her husband and worked as a 
registered nurse in various hospitals in the Central Valley.
  Having raised four children, Mrs. McKenry was very knowledgable and 
experienced as a nurse. She worked for the Selma District Hospital 
Emergency Room, as well as at the Doctor's Hospital in Modesto, 
California, specializing in orthopedics, cardiology, surgery and as a 
relief supervisor. Furthermore, having an extensive background and a 
great understanding of the health care industry, Ruth was a long-time 
advocate for improving the health care system in the country. She was 
involved in the politics of the Valley and held several important 
positions in different organizations.
  Ruth maintained an encompassing interest in the activities of her 
community. She served as a Brownie Girl Scout Leader, 4-H Leader, and 
as a volunteer for a local Well Baby Clinic. Additionally, her 
involvement in many vital agricultural groups and organizations left a 
mark on the people of the Valley. After retiring as a registered nurse, 
Ruth farmed grape vineyards and together with her husband, managed 
McKenry Farms in Kingsburg, California. Being a farmer herself, Ruth 
was strongly engrossed in the workings of the agricultural industry. 
She served as the State and Federal Legislative Chair and the 
Agricultural Labor Chair for the California Women for Agriculture 
(CWA). She also served as the Agricultural Labor Chair for the American 
Agri-Women (AAW) and for the Tulare County Farm Bureau.
  Additionally, Ruth was involved with Women in Farm Economics and the 
California Farm Bureau Federation Agricultural Labor Committee. Many of 
her colleagues, especially in the CWA and AAW attest to her enthusiasm 
and her driving force in pushing for change in the agricultural labor 
industry, especially in providing farm workers access to necessary 
health care programs. Ruth once stated, ``My involvement in 
agricultural labor has given me an interest in affordable health care 
for the farm worker and both pre-natal and well baby care for his/her 
family. I am interested in the nation's rural areas [and] as an 
employer, access to affordable health care premiums is needed.''
  The positions she held on agricultural labor committees gave her the 
chance to promote the changes that were necessary for the advancement 
of the agriculture industry. Her hard work was witnessed and admired by 
her colleagues, and in 1986, after, being nominated by her fellow CWA 
members, she was awarded the prestigious Leaven Award, the highest 
award an American Agri-Woman can receive. Her ability to work with and 
influence those around her, and multiply the effectiveness of the 
organization was testimony to the character she possessed which made 
her truly deserving of the Leaven Award. In addition, California State 
Assemblymember Bruce Bronzan nominated her as the Woman of the Year in 
1991 for her outstanding contributions to her community.

  Ruth McKenry was a prime example of a strong resilient woman. She 
lived a life of purpose and served as a role model, not just for the 
youth in the Valley, but for her peers and colleagues. She was devoted 
to her family and deeply involved in the life of her children and 
grandchildren. She was honored by those who worked beside her and by 
those whose lives she was able to change and touch throughout her 
lifetime. Ruth McKenry's life is a prime example of pure passion and 
loyalty and of genuine interest in agriculture, one of the most vital 
sectors of the Central Valley. She had an outstanding life and will 
always be looked up to by those who knew her.

[[Page E1484]]



                          ____________________