[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 12 (Tuesday, January 21, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H233-H234]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING CONTRIBUTIONS OF MARIE RIDDER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Beyer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise once again to honor the lifetime 
contributions of Marie Ridder to Virginia and the Nation.
  Marie, a distinguished journalist and one of the most passionate 
conservationists I have known, will celebrate her 100th birthday next 
Monday, January 27.
  Marie Ridder began her career as a journalist covering the 
reconstruction of post-World War II Europe, writing for the 
Philadelphia Bulletin. Over the next few years, she wrote for The 
Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and Knight Ridder publications. Not 
just a writer, Marie edited for Vogue, Glamour, Mademoiselle, and Conde 
Nast magazines.
  I became close with Marie when she hosted my first-ever political 
event more than 37 years ago. When everyone else was skeptical, 
including my own family, Marie believed in me. Over the

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years, Megan and I have visited Marie's home myriad times, always 
surrounded by the most interesting people. It was there I first met and 
heard Dr. Howard Dean, perhaps the strongest voice against our invasion 
of Iraq and for healthcare for all Americans.

  Marie is passionate about saving our landscapes and our environment. 
She has been the champion of the Piedmont Environmental Council for 
decades and led the successful fight against the 1990s Disney effort to 
blanket the Virginia Piedmont with houses. She has served on the boards 
of the League of Conservation Voters and the Trust for Public Land.
  Maria is a master gardener, working in her garden high above the 
Potomac River in McLean. It was there that she was first bitten by a 
copperhead snake and rushed to Sibley Hospital for the antivenom. When 
she was struck again by a copperhead a few years later, the emergency 
room doctor noted that he had only treated two snake bites in his 
career. Both were on Ms. Ridder.
  It will come as no surprise that he was yet again the attending 
physician on her third snake bite. This is the same garden where Marie 
or her gardener--it is not clear who--killed an invasive deer with a 
bow and arrow. I do my best to avoid that garden.
  Marie's public service history is both remarkable and intriguing. She 
was deputy national director of Head Start, where she also served as 
the direct liaison for First Lady Lady Bird Johnson for 4 years. Later, 
she led the Sasha Bruce House, a compassionate home for the lost 
children of our Capital City--the abused, abandoned, neglected, and 
runaways.
  Marie has won many awards in her fight for democracy. In 2019, I was 
privileged to honor her with the Clara Mortenson Beyer Women and 
Children First Award for her outstanding accomplishments and commitment 
to empowering women.
  Megan and I are most fortunate to count Marie Ridder as our beloved 
friend. America is the longtime beneficiary of her creativity, energy, 
and tireless commitment to others.
  When you earn her trust, Marie will even tell you about her date with 
the bachelor John F. Kennedy.

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