[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 104 (Thursday, June 21, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E884]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        TRIBUTE TO MARY K. SHELL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 21, 2018

  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to 
the late Mary Katherine Shell, a community leader from Bakersfield, 
California. Mary served as the Mayor of Bakersfield from 1981 to 1985, 
and later as a member of the Kern County Board of Supervisors from 1985 
to 1997. A trailblazing force in Kern County, Mary K. Shell passed away 
last week at the age of 91.
  Born in Bakersfield, Mary graduated from East Bakersfield High School 
before attending Bakersfield College. Her future in public service was 
forged at a young age during conversations with her father, who 
encouraged her as a child to read the newspaper, be civic-minded, and 
to involve herself in the issues that impacted her community. A keen 
reader of the news, it was no coincidence that Mary found herself 
working for the Bakersfield Californian during World War II, covering 
home-front war stories and Kern County's rapidly-growing agricultural 
industry.
  With much of the Californian's workforce serving overseas in the war, 
Mary balanced an incredible workload, often finding herself immersed in 
Bakersfield's policy-making discussions, learning and covering topics 
that would mold her into a city leader herself. Outside of her writing, 
Mary continued to push herself in other fields, working as a secretary 
for Skyway Associates at the old La Cresta Airfield and even receiving 
her pilot's license. She would further her career in journalism working 
for the Bakersfield News Bulletin in 1965, first as a reporter, and 
later as editor until 1969. In 1972, she was awarded the Excellence in 
Reporting Award from the California Trial Lawyers Association for her 
work at Capitol News Service, and in 1975 was awarded the California 
Taxpayers Reporting Award for articles published in the Los Angeles 
Herald.
  While she loved politics, Mary never once viewed herself as a 
politician. It took the gentle encouragement of her loving husband, Joe 
Shell, to inspire her to run to be Bakersfield's mayor in 1979. Mary 
won in a competitive field of candidates to become Bakersfield's first 
female mayor in 1980. Upon her election, Shell immediately set out to 
improve the quality of life of Bakersfield, launching the still-active 
Beautiful Bakersfield Committee to inspire pride in the Bakersfield 
community. She commissioned the creation of a city flag, helped 
establish the annual city prayer breakfast, established one of the 
first Vietnam War memorials in Bakersfield, and brought back the annual 
downtown Christmas Parade, which is still a fixture of the Bakersfield 
Christmas season.
  After serving a full term as Bakersfield mayor, Shell successfully 
ran in 1984 to represent Kern County's 5th Supervisorial District. She 
dedicated her three terms as a county supervisor to reducing government 
overregulation and advocating for policies that minimized the waste of 
taxpayers' money. Mary established herself in the boardroom as a 
consensus-builder, garnering support from both sides of the political 
spectrum for her straight talk and her relentless love for the 
community she represented. Above all else, Mary never stopped acting as 
a one of our city's staunchest advocates, remaining just as civically 
engaged outside of politics as she was as an elected official.
  Mary K. Shell was, and will always be, a community icon in 
Bakersfield. A renaissance woman of her era, she defined to generations 
of Kern County residents what it meant to be a public servant--someone 
who listened to the needs of her constituents and acted tirelessly, 
fearlessly, yet graciously, to address the needs of our communities. 
Over her life, Mary inspired many, and I am confident that she leaves 
behind a legacy that will inspire countless others to public service. I 
extend my deepest condolences to her children, her grandchildren, and a 
community that will miss her dearly. It could be said that Mary K. 
Shell ``did it all'' in her life, and I am inclined to agree. 
Bakersfield will not soon forget her.

                          ____________________