[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 117 (Tuesday, September 19, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1759]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN TRIBUTE TO BETTE DEWING

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 19, 2006

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Bette Dewing, a 
great New Yorker. Bette Dewing is devoted to her community on the Upper 
East Side of Manhattan, and in recognition of her selfless dedication 
to the well-being of others and her significant achievements on behalf 
of the quality of life in New York City, she is being honored this 
month by the East 79th Street Neighborhood Association.
  For decades, Bette Dewing has served on the front lines of the fight 
to preserve and enhance her fellow New Yorkers' quality of life. A 
longtime columnist at the premier local newspaper of Manhattan's East 
Side, Our Town, Bette Dewing has used her public platform expertly and 
effectively to become an unparalleled advocate for her fellow New York 
City residents on a wide range of issues. She has been perhaps the Big 
Apple's leading champion for enhancing pedestrian safety, focusing the 
attention of government officials on a host of urban ills, most notably 
the need to curb traffic lawlessness. No New Yorker has done more to 
combat illegal bicyclists, skateboarders and motorists, whose careless 
and often selfish behavior is a menace to city pedestrians, in 
particular to seniors and persons with physical disabilities. A founder 
of a community-based advocacy organization, Pedestrian First, Ms. 
Dewing is perhaps more responsible than any other for starting the 
drumbeat of protest against those who would encroach on the space and 
safety of her fellow New Yorkers, a call that has since been echoed by 
many elected officials and municipal government leaders.
  Some of Bette Dewing's most important advocacy occurred when she 
presciently called for a renewed emphasis on the preeminence of family 
life, respect for the many contributions to our society by the elderly, 
and a return to civility. Her wise counsel to younger generations to 
maintain strong family ties is one that everyone should embrace. 
Similarly, her manifestoes urging a return to a culture in which a 
prevailing civic-mindedness--including courtesy and consideration for 
others--is the rule, not the exception, have since been taken to heart 
by many New Yorkers.
  In being honored by the East 79th Street Neighborhood Association, 
Bette Dewing's achievements are being recognized by one of the most 
important civic associations in our Nation's greatest metropolis. 
Representing the residents of Manhattan's Upper East Side living on or 
around East 79th Street, the dedicated membership of East 79th Street 
Neighborhood Association and its distinguished and estimable president, 
Betty Cooper Wallerstein, have made immeasurable contributions to 
improving the quality of life of their neighbors and their community.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my distinguished colleagues join me in 
recognizing the outstanding contributions to the civic life of New York 
City made by Bette Dewing.

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