[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 59 (Monday, April 26, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E649]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING DOLORES BROOKS ON HER RETIREMENT AS CHARTER MEMBER OF THE 
      BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE OZARKS TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ROY BLUNT

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 26, 2010

  Mr. BLUNT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dolores Brooks, who 
is retiring after twenty years of service to her community in 
Springfield, Missouri as a charter member of the Board of Trustees of 
the Ozarks Technical Community College.
  First elected in April 1990, Brooks helped shape the growth and 
direction of Ozarks Technical Community College, a school that serves 
students from 13 public school districts in Southwest Missouri and 
beyond. The growth of the school has been extraordinary, with this 
year's enrollment topping more than 12,000 students. OTC, as it is 
known to students and local residents, has expanded its operation to a 
second campus in Ozark, Missouri, with an eye to increasing 
accessibility to its growing student body.
  Mrs. Brooks holds degrees from Purdue University, University of 
Missouri, and Southwest Missouri State University, and has served as a 
public school teacher, counselor, principal, and adjunct university 
faculty member. She has also served on numerous professional and civic 
organizations in leadership capacities, including the Missouri Guidance 
Association, Southwest Missouri Association of Secondary School 
Principals, Springfield Education Association, Missouri State Teachers 
Association, and the Dogwood Trails Girl Scouts Council. Prior to her 
selection to the OTC Board of Trustees, she was a member of the OTC 
Steering Committee. She led OTC as its Trustee President 1990-1992 and 
2002-2003.
  From its modest beginnings in central Springfield at the old 
vocational-technical school, OTC has blossomed into a modern campus 
offering students state-of-the-art classes with opportunities for 
advancement in a wide range of vocations, professions, and subject 
matter. I am proud of the hard work Mrs. Brooks and the College have 
done to provide quality education for students in Missouri.
  To Mrs. Brooks, I wish to extend a heartfelt ``thank you and well 
done'' for her tireless work over the last two decades. Her efforts 
have made the Springfield area a better place to live. The Ozarks 
Technical Community College is a beacon of educational excellence for 
the entire region.

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