[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 50 (Thursday, March 21, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E332-E333]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING JERRY LUDEKE FOR RECEIVING THE BAKERSFIELD COLLEGE FOUNDATION 
                         STERLING SILVER MEDAL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 21, 2019

  Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize Mrs 
Jerry Ludeke as the recipient of the 2019 Bakersfield College 
Foundation Service Medal.
  Jerry's passion for academia can be traced back over half a century 
to her days as an undergraduate at Indiana University After graduating, 
Jerry began teaching at a junior high school before returning to school 
to complete a Masters in Fine Arts at Tulane University in New Orleans, 
where she concurrently taught several undergraduate courses. Upon 
completion of her Masters, Jerry selflessly decided to serve as a 
missionary for the Presbyterian Church in Beirut, Lebanon, at the then-
named Beirut College for Women. Increased hostilities in the Middle 
East cut the mission short, and Jerry returned to school once again-- 
this time as a graduate student at Stanford University There, she met 
fellow Stanford graduate and Army veteran, John Ludeke.
  Jerry and John married in 1959 and settled in Bakersfield, 
California, where they quickly

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became involved in the community. Both educators, John taught at 
Bakersfield High School while Jerry held multiple positions at 
Bakersfield College before leaving to raise her two boys, Kevin and 
Scott. Although she did not formally return to teaching until the boys 
started high school, Jerry remained committed to her role as an 
educator, and founded the Volunteer Tutoring Program at Bakersfield 
College. In 1975 she returned full-time to the Bakersfield College 
Learning Center, where she worked until she and John retired together 
in 1994.
  Jerry's commitment to community service is just as impressive as her 
academic history. Over the years she developed and served as the first 
secretary for the Holloway-Gonzales Library in Bakersfield, volunteered 
at the Friendship House pre-school, served as the president of the Kern 
County Historical Society, served on the board of both the Kern 
Memorial Society and Friendship Force, and directed the Bakersfield 
College Archives. Such extensive community involvement would overwhelm 
almost anyone, but for Jerry these are just the tip of the iceberg.
  The Bakersfield College Foundation Sterling Silver Medal recognizes 
Jerry's lifelong commitment to hard work and the betterment of the 
Bakersfield community' through the power of education. Her input on 
various boards and councils, and her leadership at Bakersfield College, 
has had an immeasurable impact on the lives of countless people. On 
behalf of California's 23rd Congressional District, I want to thank 
Jerry for her leadership and philanthropy to the communities and 
citizens of the Central Valley.

                          ____________________