[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 152 (Tuesday, October 20, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10568-S10569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                   REMEMBERING CAROL TOMLINSON-KEASEY

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
honoring the memory of Dr. Carol Tomlinson-Keasey, a committed educator 
and administrator and the founding chancellor of University of 
California, Merced. Dr. Tomlinson-Keasey passed away on October 10th 
from complications related to breast cancer. She was 66 years old.
  Dr. Carol Tomlinson-Keasey was born in Washington, DC, on October 15, 
1942. The daughter of an Army officer, she moved around frequently 
before graduating from a high school in France. Dr. Tomlinson-Keasey 
received a bachelor's degree in political science from Penn State 
University, a master's in psychology from Iowa State University, and a 
Ph.D. in developmental psychology from University of California, 
Berkeley.
  In 1977, Dr. Tomlinson-Keasey became an associate professor of 
psychology at the University of California, Riverside. During her 15-
year tenure at UC Riverside, she earned faculty and

[[Page S10569]]

administrative appointments. In 1992, Dr. Tomlinson was named vice 
provost and professor at University of California, Davis. She was 
appointed dean of UC Davis College of Letters and Science in 1994 and 
vice provost for academic planning and personnel in 1995 before lending 
her considerable talents to the University of California Office of the 
President in 1997.
  Beginning in 1998, Dr. Tomlinson-Keasey assumed a leadership role in 
the planning and building of University of California, Merced, the 
first new University of California campus in 40 years. A gifted 
administrator, Dr. Tomlinson-Keasey fully immersed herself in every 
aspect of the enormous task of starting a major public university. 
Whether it was selecting the eventual site of the campus, the 
recruitment of administrators and faculty members or even choosing the 
school mascot, Dr. Tomlinson-Keasey worked tirelessly to see that the 
dream of a University of California campus in the San Joaquin Valley 
became a reality. In 1999, Dr. Tomlinson-Keasey became the first female 
founding chancellor of a University of California campus.
  UC Merced has been a model of growth and progress since its inception 
in 2005. Today, the burgeoning campus is a living testament to Dr. 
Tomlinson-Keasey's hard work, vision, and dedication. Dr. Tomlinson-
Keasey has left behind a legacy that has resulted in greater 
opportunities for future generations of California students, especially 
those students who are the first in their families to attend college 
and come from underrepresented ethnic or racial minority groups in the 
Central Valley. Her family and friends should take great pride and 
comfort in knowing Dr. Tomlinson-Keasey's accomplishments will continue 
to positively impact many people in the future.
  Dr. Tomlinson-Keasey is survived by her husband Blake Keasey; 
children, Amber and Kai; three brothers, Alen, Gene and John Tomlinson; 
and four grandchildren.

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