[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 10, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E290]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO JANET WORKMAN--28TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT WOMAN OF THE YEAR

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                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 10, 2020

  Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of Women's History 
Month. Each year, we pay special tribute to the contributions and 
sacrifices made by our nation's women. It is an honor to pay homage to 
outstanding women who are making a difference in my Congressional 
District. I would like to recognize a remarkable woman, Janet Workman 
of the Elysian Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
  Janet Workman is a devoted wife and community leader in Elysian 
Valley. Ms. Workman was born and raised in Hermosa Beach and briefly 
lived in Sao Paolo, Brazil as an exchange student during her teenage 
years. While attending the University of Southern California, she 
majored in French, after which she spent several years teaching French 
and English at the high school level. She then moved to the City of 
Pasadena in 1981, where she started her career in corporate and 
emergency planning. An expert in her field, she ran her own company for 
twenty years before working for Southern California Edison. 
Additionally, she volunteered for eight years as a docent at the 
historic Gamble House and seven years on the board of a domestic 
violence shelter. Despite her full and active life in Pasadena, she and 
her husband, Robert, decided to relocate to Elysian Valley to start a 
new chapter in their lives.
  Ms. Workman built a new sense of home in Elysian Valley for herself 
and her husband. Never one to sit idly by, she started the Frogtown Art 
Walk with a group of neighbors, of which she was an essential planner 
for several years. To ensure the Art Walk's success, she and Robert 
converted a small home into a meeting place for the event which 
eventually became the social hub for the entire neighborhood. A lover 
of art, she studied botanical drawing and watercolor, and produced her 
own stained-glass art that was exhibited at the Frogtown Art Walk.
   Ms. Workman was also instrumental in restoring the Elysian Valley 
Community Garden, where she took a hands-on approach to rebuild the 
garden back into a resource for local residents. She took charge of the 
restoration by building and painting a tool shed, helping to construct 
planting beds, and enlisted the City of Los Angeles to donate trees for 
the garden's orchard.
   Janet is currently a board member of Friends of Silver Lake Library, 
a volunteer group dedicated in supporting special programs and cultural 
events at this branch of the Los Angeles Public Library. As a very 
active board member, Ms. Workman has increased the library's programs 
for children and helped to organize the library's 10-year anniversary 
celebration.
   The Elysian Valley community and beyond has benefitted greatly from 
the generosity of Ms. Workman. With a focus on giving back, she has 
played a vital role in energizing her fellow community members to start 
their own neighborhood projects and organizations.
   I ask all Members to join me in honoring this exceptional, well-
respected woman of California's 28th Congressional District, Janet 
Workman.

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