[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 91 (Wednesday, June 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1475]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF BARBARA RINGER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 17, 2009

  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I rise in memory of Barbara Alice Ringer, 
who served as Register of Copyrights from November 19, 1973 through May 
30, 1980, and was the first woman to hold this position. Ms. Ringer was 
known for her enduring modesty, her dedication to authors and artists, 
and her unsurpassed expertise in the field of copyright law.
  Ms. Ringer was born in Lafayette, Indiana on May 29, 1925. Ms. Ringer 
earned a Bachelor's and a Master's degree from George Washington 
University, and then went on to become one of a handful of women to 
receive a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School in 1949.
  Following her graduation from law school, Ms. Ringer joined the 
Copyright Office as an examiner, and worked her way up through the 
ranks of the Copyright Office, serving as Head of the Renewal and 
Assignment Section, Chief of the Examining Division, Assistant Register 
of Copyrights for Examining, and Assistant Register of Copyrights.
  In 1971, after 22 years of service to the Copyright Office, five of 
which were as the second in command of the Office, Ms. Ringer was 
passed over for promotion to Register of Copyrights. Ms. Ringer 
challenged this decision and filed a discrimination suit. While the 
suit was pending, Ms. Ringer served as Director of the Copyright 
Division of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural 
Organization (UNESCO) in Paris.
  A federal hearing revealed that there was a consistent pattern of 
discrimination within the Library of Congress, and that Ms. Ringer had 
been passed over because of her gender and because she had always 
vocally supported the promotion of African Americans in the Copyright 
Office. This ultimately led a federal judge to order that she be named 
Register of Copyrights. She went on to serve as Register from November 
19, 1973, until her retirement in 1980; she was later called back to 
serve as Acting Register again, from 1993-1994.
  Ms. Ringer's most notable accomplishment was the Copyright Act of 
1976. Ms. Ringer was one of its chief architects and was the principal 
author of the Act, which brought sweeping changes and needed updates to 
United States copyright law. Her efforts, which culminated in passage 
of the Act, spanned 20 years and involved countless hours forging 
compromises between parties with conflicting interests and educating 
Members of Congress on the complexities of copyright law. In 1977, Ms. 
Ringer received the President's Award for Distinguished Federal 
Civilian Service for her work related to the Act.
  Barbara Ringer passed away at the age of 83 on April 9, 2009, in 
Lexington, Virginia. In keeping true to her passion for service, she 
donated upon her death her personal collection of 20,000 movies and 
1,500 books on film to the Library of Congress. On behalf of the 
American people, thank you Ms. Ringer; you are missed.

                          ____________________