[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 165 (Tuesday, November 1, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1969]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF EMPIRE COLLEGE

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                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 1, 2011

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 50th anniversary 
of Empire College in Santa Rosa, California. Founded in 1961 to serve 
the secretarial and bookkeeping needs of the local business community, 
Empire College has grown into an important contributor to professional 
education in the North Bay, and an asset in Sonoma County's development 
into a prosperous and economically diverse region.
  Empire College was founded first as a business school, training staff 
to meet ongoing shortages in skilled office professionals. Founder 
Henry Trione, the Santa Rosa businessman and philanthropist, envisioned 
a college providing practical learning for the greater benefit of the 
local community. Since then, Empire College has expanded into new areas 
as the needs of our region have diversified. It now has programs in 
accounting, information technology, tourism and hospitality, and office 
administration. It also offers the North Bay's first and only law 
program leading to a Juris Doctor, which is responsible for almost a 
quarter of the members of the Sonoma County Bar Association, as well as 
several judges in Sonoma and other northern California counties.
  In both its Business and Law Schools, Empire College has made its 
reputation as a private institution uniquely committed to the public 
good. Empire College students support our community in public law 
clinics for elders, immigrants, and individual with disabilities. They 
put on events and fundraisers for local nonprofits, including the 
California Parenting Institute, Legal Aid of Sonoma County, and the 
Children's Village of Sonoma County. In countless ways, we have 
benefitted from the presence of Empire College not only as a center of 
learning and professional development, but as a model of engagement and 
community service.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me in celebrating the 50th anniversary 
of Empire College. Henry Trione is to be commended for the impressive 
legacy he has bestowed upon our County, and which the College's long-
time executives, Sherie and Roy Hurd, have nurtured over the years. We 
are privileged to be served by an institution that remains so dedicated 
to serving Sonoma County and its people.

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