[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 14, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S3122]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING SENATOR ANITA BOWSER

 Mr. BAYH. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to the life of a 
distinguished public servant, community leader, and friend, Senator 
Anita Bowser, who passed away at the age of 86 on March 4. Senator 
Bowser's dedication to the State of Indiana kept her involved in public 
service throughout her life, and I know that she will be greatly 
missed.
  Senator Bowser was a good and decent woman who dedicated her life to 
serving others. From her work as a constitutional scholar to her role 
as a State representative, her career was filled with acts of 
conscientious service on behalf of friends, family members, and 
Hoosiers across Indiana.
  In 1980, Senator Bowser retired from teaching political science at 
Purdue University, North Central, and started her career in the Indiana 
House of Representatives. In 1992 she was elected to the state senate 
representing LaPorte and St. Joseph Counties. Throughout her career as 
an elected official, Senator Bowser addressed issues such as 
prescription drug assistance, the protection of Indiana's telephone 
privacy list, support for agricultural development, assistance for 
victims of sexual assault, and tax amnesty for small businesses.
  As Governor of Indiana, I had the privilege of seeing firsthand the 
difference Senator Bowser's efforts have made in our State. The 
contributions she made through her leadership and philanthropy touched 
countless lives, and her dedication and strong will made her a role 
model for a generation of Hoosiers.
  Senator Bowser's many accomplishments include being the first woman 
to act as house speaker, deputy speaker pro-tempore, in the history of 
the State. In addition, she received numerous honors based on her 
public service, including the Louis Ingelhart Award for Freedom of 
Expression, the Amnesty International Abolitionist of the Year Award, 
and the Robert Dale Owen Legislator Award from the Indiana Civil 
Liberties Union. She was also a founding member and the first woman to 
be hired to teach at Purdue University, North Central, in Westville. A 
veteran lawmaker, Senator Bowser was widely respected as the conscience 
of the Indiana State Senate.
  Before she died, Senator Bowser was the ranking Democrat on the 
Senate Pensions and Labor Committee and was a member of the Judiciary 
Committee, the Corrections, Criminal and Civil Matters Committee, the 
Ethics Committee, and Education and Career Development Committee. It is 
a rare person who can make such an impact on so many people over the 
course of one life. Hoosiers will miss Senator Bowser as a friend, a 
community leader, and a committed advocate for our State.
  It is my sad duty to enter the name of Senator Anita Bowser in the 
official Record of the United States Senate for her service to the 
State of Indiana.

                          ____________________