[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 46 (Friday, March 16, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E570-E571]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      IN HONOR OF THE HALL OF FAME OF DELAWARE WOMEN 2007 HONOREES

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL N. CASTLE

                              of delaware

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 16, 2007

  Mr. CASTLE. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise 
today to pay tribute to five exemplary women as they are inducted into 
the Hall of Fame of Delaware Women. Sujata Kumari Bhatia, Carolyn S. 
Burger, Liane M. Sorenson, Shirley M. Tarrant, and Val Whiting all 
possess extraordinary abilities which they have used to achieve great 
things and better their communities. Each inductee is truly deserving 
of this high distinction for the profound impact they have made not 
only upon Delaware, but the entire country.


                          Sujata Kumari Bhatia

  To achieve her goals, Dr. Bhatia pursued a rigorous academic career. 
In only four years at the University of Delaware, she obtained three 
bachelors degrees in the fields of biology, biochemistry and chemical 
engineering in addition to a master's degree in chemical engineering. 
She then went on to earn both her MD and PhD at the University of 
Pennsylvania. Since her graduation, the Unversity of Delaware has 
presented her with the 1999 Woman of Promise award as well as the 2006 
Presidential Citation for Outstanding Achievement. She has also been 
invited to attend several symposiums for the Nation's top engineers.
  With advanced training in both the fields of engineering and 
medicine, Dr. Bhatia has positioned herself to bring a great deal of 
innovation to the world of biomedical materials. She currently works 
for DuPont Central Research and Development as the only physician-
scientist. She is actively putting her unique expertise to work by 
spearheading a project to develop a surgical sealant which will greatly 
advance the way doctors care for wounds.
  Beyond her worthwhile professional endeavors, Dr. Bhatia has also 
dedicated herself to helping the community. By mentoring young women at 
the University of Delaware's Engineering Department and also the 
Charter School of Wilmington, she positively impacts the engineering 
field as a whole, as well as individual lives. She further demonstrates 
her charitable spirit and leadership skills by serving on the Board of 
Directors of the University of Delaware Engineering Alumni Association, 
the Delaware Governor's Council on Lifestyle and Fitness, and the 
Delaware section of the American Chemical Society. On top of all this 
she is still able to find time and energy to donate to other causes 
such as the Ronald McDonald House, the Salvation Army, American Heart 
Association and the Special Olympics to name only a few.


                           Carolyn S. Burger

  Carolyn S. Burger is a pioneer in the telecommunications industry. 
Her outstanding work ethic, effective managerial and interpersonal 
skills, intelligence, and perseverance have enabled her to break 
through the many barriers that stood in her way.
  After graduating from Wilson College, Ms. Burger quickly ascended the 
ranks at the former Bell-Atlantic Company. She was the first woman in 
every management position she held at the company. She attained her 
goals by delivering quality, bottom-line results while still treating 
her employees and co-workers with the utmost respect. Ms. Burger became 
the first woman in the United States to lead a telecommunications 
company when she was promoted to President and CEO of Bell Atlantic 
Delaware. In this position she achieved a great deal. She is well known 
for bringing about legislative reform in the Delaware General Assembly 
which provided customers with more competitive rates. She retired from 
the company in 1996, leaving behind an unparalleled legacy.
  Ms. Burger utilizes her strong leadership skills to effect change in 
the community. She champions many important issues as well as other 
charitable causes. She is the cofounder of ``Swinging with a Star'' 
golf tournament, which facilitates networking among women in business 
and raises money for girls prqgrams throughout the state of Delaware. 
Her philanthropic spirit and business prowess has secured a healthy 
financial future for the Delaware Art Museum and helped fund programs 
which are invaluable to the state of Delaware.


                        Liane Mc Dowell Sorenson

  Throughout her prolific career, Liane Sorenson has actively 
demonstrated her deep commitment to women, children and families. As 
the Director of Women's Affairs at the University of Delaware, she 
championed issues relating to date rape and gender-based harassment. In 
addition to establishing Sexual Assault Awareness Week at the 
University, she lobbied to improve procedures for handling reports of 
rape and harassment.
  A passion for public service brought her to the State Senate, where 
she is now a Senator and the Minority Whip. She has proven herself to 
be a true leader by advancing important legislative issues concerning 
cancer, women's health, historical preservation, and child advocacy. In 
recognition of her hard work she was awarded the Legislative Award from 
the Delaware Recreation and Parks Society in 2001.

  While maintaining a busy work schedule, Senator Sorenson still finds 
time to give back to the community. She is Chair of the Advisory Board 
of the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition, a founding member and past 
President of the Hockessin Historical Society, and a member of the 
Newark Symphony Orchestra, to name only some of the ways she gets 
involved. She has received many awards for her efforts including ones 
from the Delaware Humanities Forum and the Newark Branch of the NAACP.


                           Shirley M. Tarrant

  Shirley M. Tarrant was the founder and president of the Suburban 
County Hospital Task Force. In this role she tirelessly fought to bring 
a much needed hospital to the Newark Delaware area. After seven years 
of overcoming obstacles, Shirley's dream was realized when Christiana 
Hospital finally came to be.
  Ms. Tarrant is passionate in whatever she does. On top of her 
devotion to bringing quality healthcare facilities to Delawareans, Ms. 
Tarrant is active within the community. When the University of 
Delaware's medical technology program was almost terminated, Ms. 
Tarrant played a pivotal role in saving it. She was the Founder and 
First President of the Newark Girls Club, the Chairperson and member of 
the Delaware Health Facilities Authority, and the Secretary of the 
University of Delaware Alumni Association among a long list of other 
activities.
  On many occasions Ms. Tarrant has been recognized for her 
achievements. Delaware Today Magazine named her one of the 30 people 
who ``changed Delaware''. She was also named the University of 
Delaware's Most Outstanding Alumnus in 1985. She has received the Dr. 
Wallace M. Johnson Community Service Award in addition to many other 
awards commending her outstanding accomplishments.


                              Val Whiting

  Val Whiting is an accomplished athlete, scholar, and leader in the 
Delaware community. Her basketball career took off when she was in high 
school and played in many state championships. At Stanford University, 
she led her team to two NCAA Championships and was named Pac-10 
Conference Player of the Year. Ms. Whiting was an alternate to the 1995 
National Team, which took the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics. 
Recently both ESPN and the NCAA recognized Ms. Whiting as one of the 
``Top 25 NCAA Players of the Past 25 Years.''
  Although she was accepted to medical school, Ms. Whiting pursued her 
athletic dreams of playing professional basketball. After playing 
abroad in Italy, Brazil and elsewhere, she returned to the United 
States to play in the WNBA for the Detroit Shock and then the Minnesota 
Lynx. She is now one of a few African-American women trainers in the 
state of Delaware.
  Ms. Whiting is an active leader in the Delaware community. She works 
to motivate young people to make good decisions and lead successful 
lives. She is a spokesperson for AIDS Delaware in addition to 
volunteering for the Police Athletic League and serving on the Board of 
Directors of Girls Inc. She founded GAMESHAPE, a life skills program 
for young girls, as well as the Ms. Whiting Economic Literacy League 
for girls. For her efforts she has received awards from the WNBA, 
Wilmington Mayor James Baker, the Police Athletic League and many 
others.
  I cannot applaud the accomplishments of these five women enough. 
Their ceaseless commitment to their personal goals as well as those of 
the broader community is testament

[[Page E571]]

to their rich quality of character. They are great role models for the 
people of Delaware and I would like to commend their outstanding 
accomplishments. I wish them all the best as they accept the well-
deserved honor of being inducted into the Hall of Fame of Delaware 
Women.

                          ____________________