[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 123 (Monday, July 30, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1651]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             COMMEMORATING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF GAY BRASHER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 30, 2007

  Mr. HONDA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Gay Brasher, an 
extraordinary person who has dedicated her career and life to educating 
our youth in public speaking through speech and debate. Her excellence 
in teaching is reflected in the numerous accolades she has received for 
developing one of the most successful and renowned speech and debate 
programs in the nation.
  Ms. Gay Brasher was raised in Lafayette, Louisiana. When she was 
young, she was certain she wanted to eventually coach public speaking 
and debate. Gay went on to the University of Southwestern Louisiana, 
now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she successfully 
debated in multiple state tournaments. After obtaining her Bachelor's 
and Master's Degrees from the university, she stayed in the Louisiana 
area to begin her teaching career.
  At the beginning of her career, Gay loudly voiced her belief in the 
importance of public speaking courses. She served on the Louisiana 
State Committee for textbook adoption, focusing on the need for speech 
education. At her first teaching assignment, she was named the 
Louisiana Speech Coach of the Year, and shortly after, she moved to the 
San Francisco Bay Area to continue her teaching.
  In the Silicon Valley, Gay bolstered San Jose High School's award-
winning speech and debate program. Gay was a great influence on the 
community and was frequently recognized for her commitment to improving 
high school debate programs. In March of 1996, she was honored by the 
Tech Museum of Innovation as an Inspirational Teacher, and in 1999, she 
was awarded the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Good Neighbor Award for her 
contributions and voluntary service to the community. At one point in 
her career, she coached speech and debate at all six San Jose High 
Schools at the same time. She eventually settled at Leland High School, 
where she developed one of the best speech and debate programs in the 
nation.
  The Leland team consistently wins the sweepstakes award at several 
league and invitational tournaments; dozens of individual team members 
qualify yearly for the state and national championship tournament. Gay 
has now mentored several California State Champions, two Catholic 
Forensic League National Champions, and one National Forensic League 
National Champion. In 2007, Leland High School was chosen as one of 
only three schools from the hundreds of participants to be honored with 
the Excellence in Speech and Debate Award.
  Aside from coaching the Leland High School Speech and Debate Team, 
Gay also provides learning opportunities for other members of the 
Leland community. She hosts an annual speech tournament for English as 
a Second Language Students to help with their speaking skills. Gay also 
teaches public speaking at Burnett Junior High School and donates her 
earnings to the Leland Speech and Debate Program. In addition, she was 
the Area Chairperson for the California High School Speech Association 
(CHSSA) and was elected to the CHSSA Hall of Fame.
  Gay has been widely recognized by the community for her excellence. 
Besides being named as the Teacher of the Year for Leland High School 
in 1998, Gay was also chosen as the San Jose Unified School District's 
Teacher of the Year. In 2001, the National Forensics League (NFL) named 
Gay as the Speech Coach of the Year, and in 2006 she was inducted into 
the NFL Hall of Fame. Now in 2007, Gay received her Fifth Diamond from 
the NFL and continues to inspire the speech and debate community.
  The impact that Gay has made on her students is immeasurable. Gay 
regularly receives letters from former students and universities noting 
her influence and praising her support. Her passion for speech is 
inspiring to educators and students alike as we are reminded of the 
enormous importance of public speaking programs in our educational 
system. Her guidance has been vital in the lives of so many as she 
shaped not only an immensely successful speech and debate program but 
also the students within it.
  I offer my congratulations to Gay Brasher on her distinguished career 
as the coach of the Leland High School Speech and Debate Program. She 
has touched a generation of students, and her legacy will live on for 
many years to come.

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