[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 42 (Friday, March 9, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING THE LIFE OF MS. BIRD

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                             HON. TED LIEU

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 9, 2018

  Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life 
of Ms. Teresa Bird--a beloved mother, grandmother, and Los Angeles 
activist--who passed away on January 16, 2018 at the age of 86.
  Teresa was born in Los Angeles on September 19, 1931. She married her 
late husband, Richard G. Bird, on September 2, 1950 and together they 
moved to the city of Torrance in the South Bay region of Los Angeles 
County.
  Teresa was a loving mother who volunteered at her children's schools 
and became the President of her local Parent-Teacher Association. 
Teresa, who was a young mother, was inspired to do more in her 
community when she heard that then Senator John F. Kennedy was going to 
run for President. Teresa recounted that Senator Kennedy, ``turned her 
on to getting really involved and doing something good for the 
country.''
  Inspired by the 1960 election, Teresa went on to volunteer for the 
presidential campaigns of Senators John Glenn and Gary Hart, President 
Bill Clinton, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In addition to 
volunteering for national campaigns, Teresa spent eight years as 
manager of Governor Jerry Brown's Los Angeles office during his first 
term and thirteen years working in the district office of the late 
California state Senator Ralph Dills. Through her continued activism, 
Teresa became a founding member of the South Bay Democratic Club.
  Teresa's activism in her community continued unabated outside of her 
professional career. She organized grape boycotts to call attention to 
the plight of farmworkers and lobbied local governments in support of 
expanded civil rights; she led voter-registration drives and marched to 
protest the Vietnam war. Teresa's prodigious community involvement led 
to the California State Senate naming her 2007 Woman of the Year for 
the 28th Senate District.
  Teresa is survived by her three children, Elaine Bird Jones, Lisa 
Marcum, and David Bird as well as her grandchildren Jarrod Fletcher, 
Stephanie Robinson, Sean, Justin and Lucas Marcum and her great-
granddaughters Chloe Robinson and Evie Fletcher whom I hope take 
comfort in the way Teresa lived her life as a patriotic, selfless and 
caring citizen. Teresa described the life she led as wonderful due to 
those whom she cared for most, her family and friends. May her memory 
be a blessing to us all.

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