[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 57 (Thursday, April 10, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E576]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE LIFE AND CAREER OF HAZEL HALEY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM H. PUTNAM

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 10, 2008

  Mr. PUTNAM. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and career 
of Polk County's beloved educator, Hazel Haley, who died on April 7, 
2008.
  Holding the record for the longest tenure of a Florida teacher, and 
thought to have been the longest-serving teacher in the country as 
well, Miss Haley dedicated 69 years of service to the classroom and to 
multiple-generations of Polk County families, including Florida 
Governor Lawton Chiles.
  Polk County, and especially Lakeland High School--where Hazel taught 
for 67 years--has not only lost a dear friend, but an advocate, a 
mentor, and a community leader. Her legacy and memory lives on through 
the thousands of students lives she impacted. It is estimated that she 
taught 13,500 students, proving that one person can touch many lives. 
In addition, Florida Southern College and Polk Community College both 
award scholarship funds in her name.
  A fan of crossword puzzles, episodes of ``Law & Order,'' and all 
things Shakespeare, Hazel also had a passion for traveling. Living life 
to the fullest, in 1973 at the young age of 57, Hazel made it a goal to 
take two international trips each year. Hazel even managed to 
physically travel around the world, not just once, but twice. She 
considered herself the biggest Anglophile in the USA, and always found 
a way to work London into her itinerary.
  Known for her sharp wit, frankness, and big heart, Hazel will long be 
remembered in the halls of Lakeland High School. Classroom 106--where 
she taught from 1953 to 2006--will forever retain the many lessons 
Hazel instilled in students of American and English Literature. In 
1984, the Polk County School District honored Hazel's steadfast 
commitment to education officially naming the wing where her room was 
located as the ``Hazel H. Haley Building.''
  There is no arguing the multitude of contributions Hazel conveyed to 
her students, her community, and her profession. Hazel's life is not 
one that we should mourn, but one that we should commemorate for her 
genuine love of live she bestowed upon so many lives.

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