[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 134 (Thursday, August 20, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E800]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO HARRIETT SHOCKEY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN CALVERT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, August 20, 2026

  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy 
of Harriett Shockey. Harriett Shockey was born in Sioux City, Iowa, in 
1936. When she was 17 years old, her parents gave her the wonderful 
gift of a baby sister, called Candy, whom she loved deeply. When Candy 
was still just a very small child, Harriett went off to college at the 
University of Iowa. She was the first woman in her family to attend 
college and the only girl in the engineering program in which she was 
enrolled.
  Sadly, her college career was sidelined by a terrible case of scarlet 
fever, forcing Harriett to return home. While convalescing, she met her 
future husband, Gary Shockey, a dashing young Air Force officer 
stationed in Des Moines.
  Harriett and Gary eloped and embarked upon their life together of 
service to the United States. They moved many times for the Air Force, 
living in Pennsylvania, Texas, South Carolina, Wiesbaden in Germany, 
Ohio, and finally in California, where Gary was stationed on separate 
tours at both the former Norton Air Force Base and March Air Force 
Base.
  While Gary worked for the Air Force, including several tours in 
Vietnam, Harriett held down the fort at home and raised their three 
children, Greg, Cindy, and Jeff. Both Harriett and Gary were true 
Patriots who felt deeply honored to serve their country, and they 
raised their children to have the same spirit.
  Harriett was a woman of fierce determination and strong intellect. 
When Jeff, the last of the three children, went off to college, 
Harriett decided it was high time to get her own college degree, and 
she enrolled at the University of Redlands to complete what she had 
started many years before. After graduation, she remained involved in 
several of the University campus activities. She chaired the Town and 
Gown and was a dedicated U of R supporter.
  In addition to managing the household, Harriett was a contracting 
officer with the Department of Defense at March Air Force Base, where 
she put her no-nonsense thrift to good use for the taxpayer. She was 
also one of the first women to oversee funerals for our Nation's 
Veterans at the Riverside National Cemetery.
  Harriett loved to cook. She loved to shop. She loved to dote on her 
grandchildren. Her family misses her deeply. Many other Americans also 
mourn her loss, for Harriett contributed to every community where she 
lived and her cheerful spirit touched many lives.

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