[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 114 (Thursday, September 14, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN HONOR OF CLAIRE WETHERELL

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. C.L. ``BUTCH'' OTTER

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 14, 2006

  Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the contributions 
and character of former Idaho State Senator Claire Wetherell, an Idaho 
woman who is the very embodiment of civic virtue, community involvement 
and--most of all--class.
  A municipal park named in her honor on Monday, September 18, 2006, is 
a testament to the admiration and affection that the people of her 
hometown of Mountain Home, ID, hold for Senator Wetherell.
  Earlier this year, she was presented with both the key to the city of 
Mountain Home and a lifetime achievement award from the Elmore Medical 
Center Auxiliary, which she served as its first president in 1955.
  Senator Wetherell also led the bond issue campaign that resulted in 
construction of the original Elmore Memorial Hospital. In addition, she 
put her experience as a U.S. Navy nurse during World War II to work as 
one of the first nurses at the new hospital.
  It was my great privilege to serve with Senator Wetherell for 10 of 
my 14 years as Idaho's lieutenant governor and presiding officer of the 
Idaho Senate.
  Her 12 years in the Idaho Senate, and her 8 years on the Mountain 
Home City Council, showed that no public official could have a better 
friend than Claire Wetherell, or a more determined political adversary.
  It didn't matter whether you were a Democrat or a Republican; if she 
liked you she would go out of her way to extend the hand of compromise 
and conciliation. Yet there was almost nothing an opponent could do 
that she wasn't fully prepared to challenge.
  Senator Wetherell served the public interest with a passion for 
justice and equal rights, and she applied the same standards to 
herself. She would make her case with great intensity, but also would 
be the first to admit when she was mistaken. She was quick to pursue 
the truth, and just as quick to acknowledge those rare occasions when 
that pursuit went astray.
  Senator Claire Wetherell deserves the congratulations of Congress, 
and a grateful Nation's thanks for her lifetime of contributions to the 
people of Mountain Home and all the people of Idaho.

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