[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 86 (Friday, May 23, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1078]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE LIFE OF ELAINE BUNDESEN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2008

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise 
today to recognize the passing of one of our notable local residents 
and a good friend, Elaine Bundesen. Elaine died last month at the age 
of 85 of complications from Parkinson's disease.
  Originally from Washington State, Elaine grew up in Seattle and 
attended the University of Washington. After she graduated in 1945 with 
a degree in English, she headed for San Francisco, where she met and 
married Jim Bloom, a Navy pilot from my hometown of Petaluma.
  After the war--World War II--Elaine lived in Guam with her husband as 
one of the first Navy dependents to be stationed there. Later, the 
couple moved to Petaluma, where Elaine was introduced to small-town 
life. Petaluma being the egg capital of the Nation, Elaine eventually 
got a job at Bundesen Bros. Hatchery, where she met her second husband, 
Paul Bundesen. Sadly, their life together ended when Paul was killed in 
a plane crash in 1967.
  Elaine returned to school, and in 1974 received her master's degree 
in counseling at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park. She worked 
for more than 25 years in the university's office of admissions and 
records. During this time, she helped form the public lecture series 
``Pandora's Box'' with a small group of women whose activities started 
the women's studies program at Sonoma State.
  Elaine is survived by her three stepchildren, Margaret, David and 
Laura, and many nieces and nephews.
  Madam Speaker, Elaine was a wonderful woman and a good friend who 
influenced many lives. She was a mentor to me and will be greatly 
missed.

                          ____________________