[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 35 (Monday, March 5, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E309-E310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING LONG-TIME MONTEREY PARK RESIDENT AND COMMUNITY ACTIVIST: MRS. 
                              RUTH WILLNER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JUDY CHU

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 5, 2012

  Ms. CHU. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a great loss to our 
community, Mrs. Ruth Willner, who passed away on February 28, 2012, 
after a lengthy and valiant battle with cancer. My heart goes out to 
her two children, Paul and Julia; her granddaughter, Eryn; and her many 
friends and family members.
  Ruth was an extraordinary citizen, an advocate for her community, and 
a good friend and loyal supporter. I first got to know Ruth's strength 
and passion in the 1980s, when she was the Chairperson of the Committee 
for Harmony in Monterey Park, which was formed to defeat a proposed 
English-only and anti-immigrant ordinance in our hometown. Thanks to 
Ruth's tireless efforts we succeeded in defeating that ordinance.
  A native of East Los Angeles, Ruth attended Roosevelt High School and 
earned degrees from Los Angeles Community College and TIC Berkeley. A 
widower, she was married to her husband Irv for 56 years and lived in 
Monterey Park for 52 years.
  Ruth truly loved her community. She was involved in too many 
community groups, commissions and organizations to name here, including 
the city's Blue Ribbon Budget Committee, the School District Formation 
Committee, Friends of the Library, Concerned Citizens, and the anti-
casino and anti-billboard committees, to name a few.
  As a 35-year member of the Pasadena League of Women Voters, Ruth 
played an integral role in educating and informing our local 
electorate. As program chair she shed light on issues as varied as 
NAFTA, Environmental Justice, Immigration and Welfare Reform, and as a 
member of the Speakers' Bureau for 25 years she presented pro and con 
forums on countless ballot issues and moderated scores of candidate 
forums.
  A true believer in the political process, Ruth was a member of the 
Monterey Park Democratic Club since 1967, where she served as past 
president and ran the club's newsletter for 20 years. She also was an 
elected member of the L.A. County Democratic Party for 12 years and 
served as corresponding secretary for the party.
  She was a tireless campaigner, walking precincts and phone banking 
for George Brown for Assembly, serving as the San Gabriel Valley 
Coordinator to End the War in Vietnam, and volunteering for Hubert 
Humphrey and George McGovern, among many others.
  I urge my House colleagues to join me in honoring Mrs. Ruth Willner 
for her record of civic activism, her indomitable spirit and her 
remarkable service and contributions to her community and to our 
nation.

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