[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 76 (Monday, May 18, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO RACHEL JACOBS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DEBBIE DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 18, 2015

  Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, today, I attended the funeral of Rachel 
Jacobs, a wife, mother, daughter and a native Michigander, who was 
taken far too soon. Rachel's parents are friends of many of us in the 
Michigan Congressional Delegation and we watched her mature into an 
incredible young woman.
  Last week, Rachel was on her way home to New York to her husband and 
two-year-old son when her Amtrak train derailed in Philadelphia, 
killing Rachel and seven other passengers.
  This was a senseless tragedy.
  Rachel's life was cut short when she was just making her mark on this 
world. She had recently started a job as CEO of an education software 
startup and was enjoying the success of running her own company.
  Rachel was an incredible businesswoman, but more than that, she was 
kind, generous, compassionate, caring and a true advocate for 
priorities she cared about. She touched countless lives from Michigan 
to New York.
  This weekend at a Memorial Service in New York City, her friends 
called her a ``beacon of light.'' Those sentiments were echoed today at 
her funeral in Southfield, Michigan.
  Her friends spoke of her zest for life and her infectious energy and 
enthusiasm.
  Rachel used that energy and enthusiasm to give back to the hometown 
she loved. She founded the non-profit, Detroit Nation, to bring 
together former Detroit residents in support of the economic 
development and cultural innovation of the region.
  Rachel lived a life worth celebrating. No words can make this better 
for her family or loved ones, and no action can bring her back. Her 
parents today were torn by grief and looking for answers they could not 
find.
  All of us in this chamber have a moral responsibility to do what we 
can to understand what happened to cause that accident on the railways 
and ensure a tragedy like this never happens again.
  We must hold ourselves accountable for fixing this--for ensuring the 
transportation systems America depends on are safe and secure and no 
more families or friends are robbed of the people they love and no more 
communities are left with a hole of losing someone who was the glue for 
so many.
  We owe it to Rachel and her family, and to all those who lost loved 
ones in this senseless tragedy, to understand the problem and pledge to 
never let this happen again.

                          ____________________