[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 189 (Monday, December 14, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2990]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IN HONOR AND RECOGNITION OF JEAN ELSNER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 14, 2009

  Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor and recognition of 
Jean Elsner, age 90, whose youthful spirit and lifelong quest for 
learning is being recognized at Cleveland State University's fall 
commencement ceremony, where she will be awarded the coveted 
President's Medal.
  Mrs. Elsner grew up in Cleveland's Buckeye neighborhood during the 
Great Depression. Her parents were hardworking and resourceful, despite 
the harsh economic times. Even when they lost their home to 
foreclosure, and during a time when young women were not encouraged to 
further their education, her parents always stuck to their plan for her 
to go to college. In 1941, she graduated magna cum laude with 
bachelor's degrees in English and Sociology from Ohio University, and 
her quest for learning, sparked early on by her parents, never 
diminished.
  In 1982, Mrs. Elsner and a friend signed up to take a class at 
Cleveland State University, and she has been enrolled ever since. For 
nearly thirty years, she has taken two to three classes every semester. 
She holds the record for the most classes taken by any one student at 
Cleveland State--more than 100. Whether rain, sleet or snow, Mrs. 
Elsner walks to the bus stop every day she has a class and takes the 
bus downtown from her home in South Euclid. Mrs. Elsner's positive 
attitude and boundless energy continue to inspire. Her love of life and 
devotion to family and friends continues to frame each day. Together, 
she and her beloved husband, the late Sidney Elsner, raised three sons 
and instilled within them the same values of hard work and the 
significance of a solid college education.
  Madam Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honor and recognition 
of Jean Elsner, whose exuberance for life, quick smile, caring heart 
and love for learning continues to enrich and inspire students, 
professors, friends and family. We wish her continued health, peace and 
happiness in all the years to come.

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