[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 174 (Thursday, November 10, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO KATIE FRALEY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RODNEY DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 10, 2022

  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor 
the life of my good friend Katie Fraley. She influenced countless 
students over four decades in the classroom and was an enthusiastic 
force in the civic life of the Taylorville community.
  Katie worked to earn a master's degree in education from the 
University of Illinois by attending night school in Springfield and 
summer school in Champaign, while teaching school in Taylorville and 
raising her young daughter.
  For nearly 40 years, she taught fourth grade at North Elementary 
School, where she arrived every day flamboyantly dressed and raring to 
go. She cared deeply about her students and took great pride in their 
accomplishments in the classroom and in all stages of their lives. She 
was known for directing the school's Christmas musicals, holding an 
annual Hawaiian luau, and instructing students in the fine art of 
assembling scrapbooks about Abraham Lincoln.
  After 41 years in the classroom, Katie ``retired'', leaving teaching 
but not education. She was elected to three four-year terms on the 
Taylorville School Board. Her vision was for the school district to 
build a fine arts center, a goal that that is now in early planning and 
fundraising phases. She was an energetic fixture in many facets of 
community life and was involved with the Taylorville First United 
Methodist Church, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the 
P.E.O., an international women's education and advocacy organization.
  She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Vance Fraley, of 
Taylorville, her children Karen, Lenee, Derek, and Lena, and many 
grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and countless former students who have 
said that she was an influential figure in their education and in their 
lives.
  The Taylorville community won't be the same without Katie. Rest in 
Peace, my friend.

                          ____________________