[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 127 (Friday, July 29, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E809-E810]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               OBSERVING THE PASSING OF DR. LOUISE BERRY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 29, 2022

  Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a mother to her 
community, Dr. Louise Berry of Danielson, Connecticut. Throughout her 
long life, Louise trail blazed a new standard of what it means to be a 
model citizen. Her impact on Eastern Connecticut is outsized and her 
legacy has been woven into the very fabric of our region.
  Born in November 1927, to Frances and Jacob Spaulding, Louise was 
raised within a family with a centuries-long history and just as deep 
roots tied to Northeastern Connecticut. Also raised among six brothers, 
she of course from a young age was instilled with the strength of self-
advocacy. In 1945, Louise graduated from Killingly High School and 
attended school at Adelphi University, earning her Nursing degree in 
1948. Louise continued her education at the University of Connecticut, 
earning a bachelor's degree in Zoology in 1952 and a Master's in 
Guidance and Counseling in 1961. Ever a hard worker with a penchant for 
learning, Louise returned to school in the late 1970's, and by 1980 she 
had earned her Juris Doctor from the UConn School of Law.
  Returning to 1952, however, Louise then picked up work within her 
community, serving as a school nurse at Killingly Memorial School until 
1955. After bringing the first two of five children into the world, she 
returned to school nursing at Brooklyn School in 1958, sparking a 
career which would forever reshape the trajectory of Brooklyn, Eastern 
Connecticut and our Nation as a whole. With her characteristic can-do 
attitude and determination, Louise set out on a path to become the most 
diversified and experienced staff in the Brooklyn school system, 
serving as a Guidance Counselor, Director of Instruction, and finally 
as Superintendent. Louise would serve as Superintendent for 36 years, 
the longest serving Superintendent in Connecticut history.
  Though it is of course difficult to encapsulate the entirety of her 
tenure as superintendent, Louise used her position to pioneer programs 
and mold the field of education to her vision, for the better. Specific 
examples include her creating the first rural Head-Start program in the 
country and initiating one of the first preschool-for-all programs 
before it became the national norm. Such is why the Louise S. Berry 
Early Childhood Center at the Brooklyn School was dedicated in her 
name. Even the road leading into the schools of Brooklyn is named after 
her legacy, a reminder of just how important a community-based 
education was to Louise.
  As if the impact of her leadership within Brooklyn schools was not 
impressive enough in its own right, Louise was of course also very 
active in her town's community up to the very end. Her long record of 
civic involvement existed as a dual track next to her career in public 
education, beginning with her election to the Town of Killingly Board 
of Education in 1966. Just a few short years later, her capacity for 
leadership earned her the position of chairwoman of the local board of 
education in the 1970s. She served on countless additional boards 
impacting the community in Northeastern Connecticut, including Day 
Kimball Hospital, Eastern Connecticut Development Council, Connecticut 
Association of Public School Superintendents, and the UConn Board of 
Trustees, to name a few.
  Louise also played a crucial role in the establishment of Quinebaug 
Valley Community College, lobbying with her husband Richard to bring 
the college into existence in 1971--just more than 50 years ago today. 
Over the past half-century, Quinebaug has grown to exist as an 
epicenter of education in the Northeastern part of the state, having 
accredited thousands of students in higher education, regardless of 
age. With this well-developed record of advocacy on behalf of her 
community, Louise unknowing put herself on a path to serving the region 
in a higher official capacity, particularly after volunteering on the 
discovery committee to recruit a 29th State Senate District candidate 
for the 1972 election. Little did Louise know at that moment that the 
exact same committee would end up choosing her as their recruit, 
ultimately causing her to run, win, and serve as one of three women in 
the Connecticut General Assembly's 36-seat State Senate. Madam Speaker, 
having chaired and sat as a member on several Connecticut General 
Assembly Committees including the Public Health and Safety Committee 
and the Education Committee, State Senator Berry at that moment was 
once again operating as a trailblazer--a successful woman in 
leadership--breaking some of the glass in the ceiling so that others 
could follow in her footsteps to leave their community better than they 
found it.

[[Page E810]]

  Louise's excellence came from her being able to tackle multiple 
projects at once. Between all her many professional commitments, she 
made certain to stay dedicated to her family. A world traveler, Louise 
loved to vacation with her family in New Hampshire, Asia and everywhere 
in between. Though her legacy clearly would do fine on its own, we have 
her five surviving children including Donald, Pamela, Robin, 
Christopher and Robin to extend her memory and example of community 
service into future Spaulding-Berry generations.
  Madam Speaker, Louise remains a towering figure in the history of 
Eastern Connecticut. It is for that very reason that, just like her 
children, we in Congress also have a responsibility to solidify the 
power of her life record. Though we are saddened by the void left by 
her passing, we know the region will continue to honor her as countless 
new leaders of both current and future generations continue to step 
into positions of action in her name. Those positions will exist in 
boundless form; from new state senators to new teachers, or even to 
those who base a life, career and family in Eastern Connecticut after 
gaining their foundations from the region--regardless, they will all 
contribute to their community in part because of Louise's life work. To 
these ends, I ask that my colleagues in the House join me in honoring 
Dr. Louise Berry, a steward to her community and model citizen, setting 
her name further into stone.

                          ____________________