[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 28 (Tuesday, March 2, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S940-S941]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                         TRIBUTE TO MARY SCOTT

 Mr. CARPER. Madam President, today I wish to recognize Mrs. 
Mary Scott, former Smyrna School District superintendent, whom I have 
been privileged to know for the past two decades. A role model of 
integrity, Mrs. Scott served the Smyrna School District in a series of 
roles of increasing responsibility from 1965 until July 1998, when she 
retired as the district's superintendent.
  Born and in Wilmington, DE, Mrs. Scott attended public school until 
she was 10. When her family moved to Smyrna, a town some 40 miles south 
of Wilmington, she attended a two-room school there that housed grades 
1 through 8 before attending the Booker T. Washington Elementary School 
in Dover for grades 9 and 10. Mary Scott graduated from the laboratory 
high school for students in grades 11 and 12 that was located on the 
campus of Delaware State College, now Delaware State University. Four 
years later, Mrs. Scott graduated from Delaware State College with a 
bachelor of arts degree in English and a minor in biology, after which 
she went on to receive her masters of arts degree in psychology from 
Washington College in Chestertown, MD.
  The first minority educator to join faculty of the Smyrna District, 
Mrs. Scott began her career as an English teacher at Smyrna High 
School, the home of the Eagles. Later, she served the district as 
assistant to the president and as human relations counselor at the high 
school until 1978 when she became director of the Title 1 Program and 
supervisor of the Early Childhood Education Center, serving in that 
capacity until 1985. Next, she was appointed principal of North 
Elementary School and held that position until her promotion to the 
district's supervisor

[[Page S941]]

of education in 1988. Finally, from 1991 to 1994, Mary Scott served as 
the district's assistant superintendent until her appointment as the 
superintendent of schools in the Smyrna District in October of 1994. 
She was the first African-American to serve in that role in that 
district.
  The Smyrna School District has served the towns of Smyrna and Clayton 
in Kent County for more than 125 years and currently includes more than 
4,800 students in central Delaware.
  The core values of the district include compassion, perseverance, 
respect, responsibility, and integrity. At the recent ``I Love Smyrna 
School District Day,'' Mrs. Scott was honored as a role model of 
integrity. The Smyrna District community committee defines integrity as 
``being honest, fair, good, and trustworthy.'' Mary Scott is the 
epitome of all of these things and more. A person of deep faith, Mary 
believes in giving back to her community, her church, and her State and 
has been recognized for her service to education by numerous 
educational, civic, and religious organizations. On top of all this, 
Mrs. Scott has been married to William L. Scott, a retired probation 
and parole officer, for 56 years. They are parents to 3 children, 
Sheldon, Jeffrey, and Rachel, grandparents to five, and great-
grandparents to two.
  Through her tireless efforts over a third of a century, Mary Scott 
has made a profound difference in the lives of thousands of students in 
the Smyrna District--many of whom remain dedicated and committed alumni 
of the district. Mrs. Scott leaves a legacy of commitment to public 
service for her children, grandchildren, students, and for the rest of 
us to follow. On behalf of all who have benefited from her tireless and 
enlightened leadership, I thank her for her commitment to educating 
every child and for the inspiration she provides through a lifetime of 
caring.
  On behalf of all Delawareans, I congratulate her on being honored for 
her service and extend to her my very best wishes for every success in 
the future.

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