[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 43 (Wednesday, March 11, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E635]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING CELE PETERSON ON HER 100TH BIRTHDAY

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                        HON. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 11, 2009

  Ms. GIFFORDS. Madam Speaker, it is my great honor to pay tribute 
today to Cele Peterson, a resident of Tucson, Arizona who on March 14, 
2009, celebrates her 100 birthday.
  Ms. Peterson is the founder and owner of a dress store that has been 
an integral part of the Tucson business community for generations. But 
to call Ms. Peterson a dressmaker or even a businesswoman fails to 
capture how important this woman is to countless Southern Arizonans who 
have been touched by her kindness and good works.
  It is impossible to imagine what Tucson would be like without Ms. 
Peterson's presence over these many years. Through her hard work and 
generosity, she helped define and shape our city. Her caring spirit and 
actions are an inspiration to all of us.
  Our world today is very different from the one Ms. Peterson entered 
100 years ago, on March 14, 1909. Then, much of Europe was still ruled 
by kings and queens. A czar presided over Russia, a sultan based in 
Constantinople dominated the Middle East, and William Howard Taft 
occupied the White House. In 1909 the first Lincoln-head penny went 
into circulation, the Wright Brothers delivered the first military 
plane to the army, and two American explorers, Robert Peary and Matthew 
Hansen, declared they were the first to reach the North Pole.
  The year Ms. Peterson was born saw the U.S. Navy open a new base at 
Pearl Harbor, a Ford Model T win the first transcontinental motorcar 
race, Sir Thomas Lipton begin packaging tea in New York, and the White 
Star Line start construction of the Titanic. It was the year Barry 
Goldwater, Errol Flynn and Douglas Fairbanks were born and the year the 
artist Frederic Remington and the Apache leader Geronimo died.
  Ms. Peterson's life-long connection to Arizona began when the State 
of Arizona was born, in 1912. As a three-year old girl she moved with 
her family to Bisbee, then a thriving mining town. The population of 
the entire state in 1912 was around 200,000. Tucson had 14,000 
residents and Phoenix--now the fifth largest city in the United 
States--had a population of 11,000. The Mexican Revolution had begun 
two years earlier and Ms. Peterson recalls climbing the hills around 
Bisbee to watch the revolution take place on the other side of the 
border.
  When Ms. Peterson launched her business in 1930, our country was at 
the threshold of the Great Depression and it was not long before her 
two business partners backed out of the venture. Ms. Peterson, however, 
did not give up. She stuck to it and not only survived, but thrived.
  For nearly 80 years, Ms. Peterson's merchandise and designs have been 
at the forefront of the fashion world. Her business has endured decades 
of ever-changing trends and economic ups and downs.
  Today, Cele Peterson's retail store is still going strong in Tucson. 
Her daughters are managing the business but Cele still comes to the 
store to greet customers and make sure that her tradition of great 
service is maintained. Over the years, Ms. Peterson has dressed an 
untold number of women from all walks of life. Among them are a host of 
well-known celebrities, such as Elizabeth Taylor and Lady Astor.
  Ms. Peterson's accomplishments go far beyond the realm of hems, 
pleats and necklines. She is a greatly admired and dynamic civic leader 
who has had a hand in the establishment of some Tucson's finest 
community organizations. She helped found the Arizona Theatre Company, 
the Arizona Opera Company, the Tucson Children's Museum and, perhaps 
most significantly, Casa de los Ninos. Casa de los Ninos' mission is to 
support children and families to both prevent child abuse and treat 
children who are victims of abuse. When the unmet needs of abused 
children were brought to her attention, Ms. Peterson offered up a 
three-bedroom house so that the new organization could begin its work. 
When it opened in 1973, it was the first shelter of its kind in the 
country.
  As Tucson celebrates the 100th birthday of Cele Peterson, it is worth 
noting that 2009 also marks the centennial of the birth of Wallace 
Stegner. This great writer of the American West once noted that 
``creation is a knack which is empowered by practice, and like almost 
any skill, it is lost if you don't practice it.''
  Cele Peterson never stopped practicing her knack for creation and in 
the process she helped build a caring community. For all that she has 
done we owe her a tremendous debt of gratitude.
  Thank you Cele for setting such a fine example of citizenship for all 
of us to follow.
  Happy Birthday to you!

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