[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16604]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                A TRIBUTE TO DEBORAH RITTER PLOTZ-PIERCE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JERROLD NADLER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 6, 2001

  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Deborah Ritter 
Plotz-Pierce for a lifetime of educating and inspiring New York City 
students. A group of her most dedicated fans, students in her sixth 
grade class of 1963-64, will be gathering on Sunday, October 7th to 
thank her for the significant role she played in shaping their lives. 
In the words of one of her students, she sparked the imagination of her 
students to ``achieve, accomplish, reach and claim their place in the 
American Dream.''
  After graduating from Brooklyn College, Deborah Plotz-Pierce began a 
career that would impact the lives of countless students. From 1958 to 
1965, she worked at PS 213 in the East New York section of Brooklyn, 
where she was assigned to work with gifted and talented students and 
their parents. After marrying Milton Plotz-Pierce and having her first 
child, she would begin a battle that would impact the lives of many 
women. After falling victim to the rules that governed pregnant New 
York City female teachers at that time, she filed a sexual 
discrimination complaint against the Board of Education. Over the 
course of the next four years, Mrs. Plotz-Pierce's case ascended to the 
Court of Appeals, whose decision led to the amendment of the New York 
City Maternity By-Laws to reflect greater gender equity. Her long-
fought battle for equality in the system surely made a tangible and 
vital difference in the lives of a generation of New York City 
teachers.
  After having her second child, she returned to the classroom, where 
she remained until her retirement in 1991. In 1992, Mrs. Plotz-Pierce 
was invited to join the teaching faculties of Touro College and the 
Education Department of City College. During the next seven years, she 
trained and mentored new teachers for the New York City Board of 
Education, passing her years of knowledge and experience on to the next 
generation.
  Throughout a lifetime of learning, teaching, and mentoring, Deborah 
Ritter Plotz-Pierce has provided such inspiration to her students that 
they gather after 35 years to celebrate and thank her. She is truly a 
model educator, and I join her students in thanking her for a lifetime 
of dedication to the students of New York City.

                          ____________________