[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 15 (Monday, January 30, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E97]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                     HONORING MS. ELIZABETH BASILE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 30, 2017

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I, along with Representative 
Huffman, rise today to honor Ms. Elizabeth Basile and her extraordinary 
life devoted to education and activism. Her family and friends are 
gathered with her today in Santa Rosa, California to honor her years of 
dedicated service to our community.
  Ms. Basile is a native of Stockton, California, and spent much of her 
early childhood in Brooklyn, New York. At sixteen, her family returned 
to California, and she spent the rest of her adolescence in Los 
Angeles. After marrying and starting a family of her own, Ms. Basile 
enrolled in college at the age of thirty and earned her Bachelor's 
Degree in English and History and her Master's Degree in Reading 
Specialization at California State University, Los Angeles.
  Ms. Basile began teaching in East Los Angeles at El Sereno Junior 
High School. After her family moved to Sonoma County, she continued her 
teaching career at Casa Grande High School until she retired in 1992. 
The California Teachers Association recruited Ms. Basile during her 
first year of teaching, and she rose through the ranks to become 
Chapter President of the Association of Petaluma Teachers.
  In addition to Ms. Basile's dedication to education, she displayed an 
exceptional commitment to the Girl Scouts youth organization in our 
community. She served as her daughter's troop leader for a decade, and 
worked as a Camp Counselor for Kamp Konocti, a Girl Scout Council's 
established camp, and volunteered at the Girl Scouts Day Camp in the 
Whittier area. She proudly maintains her lifetime Girl Scouts 
membership to this day.
  President John F. Kennedy inspired Ms. Basile to engage in politics. 
She became a Precinct Captain during his 1960 presidential campaign, 
and she coordinated with several leaders across California to organize 
canvasses and phone banks. Ms. Basile has since been involved in every 
presidential election to register Democrats and get voters to the 
polls, and she is one of the best known figures in our Sonoma County 
political community.
  Mr. Speaker, Ms. Basile has dedicated her life to local activism and 
the betterment of children through education and volunteer work in our 
community. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor her here 
today.

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