[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 11, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E353]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING TANYA MARTIN OUBRE PEKEL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 11, 2008

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to 
the life and legacy of the late Tanya Martin Oubre Pekel of Miami, 
Florida.
  On Monday, May 22, 2006, this great pioneering young woman succumbed 
to a nearly 3-year battle with breast cancer at the age of 41. Her 
untimely passing will truly leave a deep void in our midst.
  A native of Miami, Mrs. Martin Pekel was born on October 3, 1964. She 
graduated with honors from North Miami Senior High School. During that 
time she served as a page for U.S. Representative William Lehman and 
worked as a clerk for attorney H.T. Smith. Later, she earned a 
bachelor's degree from Duke University, and in 1989 she received her 
juris doctorate from Duke's School of Law.
  Mrs. Martin Pekel continued on to work as a corporate attorney before 
being appointed a White House Fellow by President Clinton in 1995. 
Under this appointment, she became an associate director of Education 
and Policy Planning in the White House. In 1999, she accepted the 
position of Chief of Staff to Superintendent Patricia Harvey of Saint 
Paul Public Schools in St. Paul, Minnesota and served in the position 
for 6 years. In 2003, she was named one of that city's up and coming 
leaders.
  Her commitment to public service and her community was evident from a 
young age. Throughout her life, she taught music, drama, dance, and 
Sunday school to children in an inner-city ministry. In addition, she 
volunteered as a tutor and mentor for at-risk youth.
  Tanya Martin Oubre Pekel's life was a triumph. She was blessed with a 
loving family who took pleasure in every aspect of her life and her 
interests. Though she was taken from them far too early in her life, 
memories of her will live on in the heart of her family forever.
  I pay tribute to Mrs. Martin Pekel, and I mourn her loss. She will be 
missed by all who knew her. I offer my heartfelt condolences to her 
family--her mother, Marcia Saunders; father, Montez Martin Jr.; 
husband, Kent; daughters, Lauren and Victoria; son, Adam; sisters, 
Terrie Rayburn and Emily Martin; brother, Montez C. Martin III; and 
grandmother, Elise Martin.

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