[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 78 (Wednesday, June 5, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H3108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF VIOLA ERGEN

  (Mr. FLEISCHMANN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I want to commemorate the life of an 
outstanding American, Viola Ergen, who passed away on May 21. She was 
an American whose life has touched and will touch many Americans for 
generations to come.
  Mrs. Ergen was the daughter of Finnish and Swiss immigrants. She 
graduated high school at age 15 and was the first female to earn a BAA 
in accounting from the University of Minnesota. After graduation, she 
and her husband Bill moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, in 1947.
  As a dedicated mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she was 
still volunteering well into her 97th year. Her commitment to 
excellence in everything she did is reflected in the lives of her five 
children and 15 grandchildren, who span this Nation as business 
leaders, doctors, and volunteers in a number of fields. It is 
impossible to measure the number of people whose lives will be touched 
by her time on Earth.
  Her work over 40 years in helping Oak Ridge Children's Museum become 
one of the Nation's finest museums reflects her commitment to helping 
others.
  Mrs. Ergen was an extraordinary person who excelled in an 
extraordinary generation. She was a great Tennesseean, who gave her 
life tirelessly to her family, friends, and community.

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