[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 38 (Thursday, March 6, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE LIFE AND WORK OF ADRIENNE SWENSON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 6, 2008

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise 
today to recognize the passing of a good friend, who was one of Sonoma 
County's notable environmental activists and a conscience for social 
justice, Adrienne Swenson. Adrienne was 81 when she died in January of 
pulmonary disease. Adrienne touched the lives of thousands through her 
successful environmental conservation efforts, her commitment to social 
justice, and her work for the Democratic Party.
  I knew Adrienne through all of these arenas and agree with her 
friends and colleagues, who are universal in their praise.
  ``She was a remarkable woman. She was a person committed to the idea 
that society could be improved,'' said David Thatcher, who along with 
others, helped Adrienne found the Peace and Justice Center of Sonoma 
County. ``She was a tower of strength in so many ways.''
  But what was so remarkable about Adrienne was that in all her 
interests she always had a wider context in mind. Her work with the 
local United Nations community, her commitment to the peace process, 
her participation on the county planning commission--she integrated 
them all in the interest of trying to make a better society.
  Born in San Francisco, Adrienne spent her life in California, except 
for 2 years in Spain when she and her husband, Len, and their three 
children lived what she once called ``the good life,'' traveling about 
Europe, studying art and learning Spanish.
  A trip to Yosemite later introduced her to what became her favorite 
activities--family camping, backpacking, and birding. This led to her 
lifelong devotion to environmental issues, which interest she shared 
with her husband, a longtime Sierra Club leader.
  Later, Adrienne served on the Manhattan Beach City Council while 
living in southern California, and on the Sonoma County Planning 
Commission after moving back to northern California. ``She really set a 
standard,'' said Bill Kortum, a member of the board of supervisors, 
which appointed her. ``She was always very well informed.''
  Politically, Adrienne was active in the Santa Rosa Democratic Club 
and served on the Democratic Central Committee for nearly 20 years.
  But where Adrienne really left her legacy was the Peace and Justice 
Center of Sonoma County.
  ``She had an incredible sense of justice in the face of overwhelming 
injustice,'' says Elizabeth Stinson, the center's director. ``She 
worked tirelessly for more than 30 years in every capacity you can 
think of.''
  She was vehemently anti-war and opposed the occupation of Iraq. 
Standing on the corner at Mendocino and College avenues almost every 
week with a group of women, all dressed in black, she protested until 
she could no longer stand.
  Madam Speaker, Adrienne Swenson would want us to carry on her work 
here in Congress, to be inspired by her tenacity and willingness to 
confront difficult subjects, knowing the world is better for her 
contributions to it.

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