[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 177 (Thursday, November 20, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2316]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN MEMORIAL OF PENNSYLVANIA LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR CATHERINE BAKER KNOLL

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ALLYSON Y. SCHWARTZ

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 20, 2008

  Ms. SCHWARTZ. Madam Speaker, on November 12, 2008, Pennsylvania 
Lieutenant Governor and former State Treasurer Catherine Baker Knoll, a 
dedicated mother, political pioneer and tenacious public servant, lost 
her battle with cancer while surrounded by loved ones.
  Knoll, 78, is survived by her four children, Albert, Charles, Mina 
and Kim Eric. Her late husband Charles was a U.S. Postmaster.
  Knoll was born one of nine children in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, 
near Pittsburgh. She was a schoolteacher, a businesswoman, and an 
innovative State Treasurer from 1989 to 1997. In that post, she created 
the Tuition Assistance Program, which opened doors for thousands of 
Pennsylvania's youth to attend college.
  The self-described ``steel woman from the steel city,'' Knoll became 
the first woman Lieutenant Governor in Pennsylvania in 2003 and was 
well-known for her persistence, initiative, and unflinching commitment 
to the public good. Her affection for all the people of Pennsylvania 
and unstoppable desire to knock down barriers for women and minorities 
were obvious to all who witnessed her energetic and caring demeanor. On 
the day she was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor, she compared 
Pennsylvania to a 10-speed bicycle, saying, ``We have gears we haven't 
even tried yet.''
  Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell called her one of the ``strongest, 
most dedicated public servants in Pennsylvania's history,'' adding that 
``Her passing is a tremendous loss for the many people whose lives she 
touched.''
  I ask that the House of Representatives extend its condolences to 
Catherine's family and friends, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 
which feels the loss of a true public servant.

                          ____________________