[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 11, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E198-E199]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING ELAINE POMEROY McKELLAR

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 11, 2014

  Ms. LEE of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
exceptional life of Ms. Elaine Pomeroy McKellar, devoted wife, mother, 
sister, friend and colleague. With her passing on January 8, 2014, we 
look to the outstanding quality of her life's work to improve the 
social welfare of individuals and families as well as the countless 
lives she touched over the course of her career in social work and 
advocacy.
  Born on August 3, 1944 in Thomasville, Georgia, she and her family 
moved to Valley City, North Dakota following World War II, where she 
grew up with her three younger siblings Linda, Earl, and Glenn. Mrs. 
McKellar received her Bachelor of Science in Social Work from the 
University of North Dakota, and obtained her Masters in Social Work 
(MSW) at the Washington University in St. Louis.
  After completing her studies, Mrs. McKellar headed to the San 
Francisco Bay Area determined to work in the progressive political 
climate and change-oriented environment. While she walked on the front 
lines advocating for fair wages and walking a picket line for the 
United Farm Workers, she met her husband Larry McKellar. They had one 
son, Dominic McKellar.
  She started her career off in the 1970s at Catholic Social Services 
in San Francisco. She primarily worked on foster care services and with 
youth transitioning out of the foster care system. She later went to 
the Children's Home Society as the Coordinator of Emergency Foster Care 
Family and recruitment, a non-profit agency serving children and 
families through critical child welfare services.
  In the late 1980s, Mrs. McKellar's career took her to Bay View 
Hunters Point Foundation, where she helped to implement elementary 
school mental health programs with her experience and expertise in 
social welfare. Following her experience at the Bay View Hunters Point 
Foundation, Mrs. McKellar worked at the UCSF Medical Center at Mount 
Zion through a Robert Wood Johnson grant and provided critical mental 
health services to children victimized by domestic violence.
  In April 2005, Mrs. McKellar came to work in my Oakland District 
Office. While initially starting as a part-time caseworker, she quickly 
rose to become the Senior Caseworker managing the casework services. 
She had spent the past 8 years providing outstanding constituent 
services to the residents of the 13th Congressional District. Mrs. 
McKellar's experience as a social worker was an asset to my office, as 
her institutional knowledge and expertise in social welfare easily 
allowed her to work closely with federal agencies and handle sensitive 
situations with the upmost professionalism and ease. She was committed 
to ensuring that my constituents received timely responses from 
agencies, often going above and beyond what was required.
  Mrs. McKellar worked closely with veterans and constituents with 
issues relating to Social Security and Medicare. Her many contributions 
to the office have not gone unnoticed. For 5 years, she was responsible 
for organizing An Artistic Discovery, an annual Congressional high 
school art competition aimed at encouraging students to express 
themselves through the arts. Mrs. McKellar worked tirelessly to build 
relationships with high school art teachers and community stakeholders, 
which helped to successfully grow the event. In 2012 and 2013, Mrs. 
McKellar worked closely with staff from Congresswoman Jackie Speier's 
office to host the Veterans' Fix-It Event, an event to address the 
backlog in veterans' claims and cases with the Oakland VA Regional 
Office.
  On a personal note, Elaine was an exemplary example of a public 
servant. She demonstrated the highest ethical standards and truly 
embodied the social work code of ethics in all aspects of her life. She 
will be deeply missed.

[[Page E199]]

  Today, California's 13th Congressional District salutes and honors an 
outstanding individual and dedicated public servant, Mrs. Elaine 
Pomeroy McKellar. Her invaluable service to improving the lives of the 
underrepresented and underserved will live on in the endless legacy of 
her life's work. I offer my sincerest condolences to her many loved 
ones, friends and colleagues she touched over the course of her 
incredible life. May her soul rest in peace.

                          ____________________