[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 178 (Thursday, November 2, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1498-E1499]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CELEBRATING THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF MRS. THELMA KOUZES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD E. CONNOLLY

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 2, 2017

  Mr. CONNOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my constituents in 
celebrating the 100th birthday of Mrs. Thelma Kouzes, a truly 
remarkable woman and a beloved member of the Northern Virginia 
community. Mrs. Kouzes was born Thelma Virginia Loss on July 26, 1917 
in Audubon, Iowa. She proudly says she is a first-generation American, 
the daughter of immigrants whose parents came to the United States from 
Denmark. She grew up in Iowa, was raised by hardworking parents, and 
experienced the hardships of the Great Depression. She moved to 
Washington, D.C. in 1938 to work for President Roosevelt's 
Administration. There she met her late husband Thomas Kouzes--also a 
first-generation American whose parents came to the U.S. from Greece.
  Mrs. Kouzes has led an amazing life. Shortly after she moved to D.C., 
she experienced culture shock when she attended a segregated religious 
service. Because of experiences like this she became a proud and 
passionate civil rights activist. She remained steadfast in her 
commitment to justice and equality--including marching alongside Dr. 
Martin Luther King, Jr.; in the March on Washington for Jobs and 
Freedom in 1963--even when others in her community criticized her 
efforts. She was an active member of the

[[Page E1499]]

American Field Service, UNICEF, the UN, the American Cancer Society, 
and American Mothers. She is proud to say that she helped to save the 
public schools in Virginia during the period of desegregation, along 
with hundreds of Northern Virginian mothers.
  She and her late husband hosted 174 international students from 34 
different countries between 1960 and 2004. She also placed more than 
400 international students with American families. After her husband 
died, she continued her devotion to hosting international students.
  Mrs. Kouzes was elected the 53rd National Mother by the American 
Mothers organization, chosen by a jury composed of representatives from 
local government as well as religious and educational leaders.
  These are just a few examples of the many accomplishments of her 
life.
  Mrs. Kouzes has been part of our great American story, lending her 
voice to the vibrancy of our community and offering her experience and 
wisdom to those around her. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me 
in thanking Mrs. Kouzes for her decades of contribution to the Northern 
Virginia area, and in wishing her a happy and healthy 100th birthday.

                          ____________________