[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 12] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 17475] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov][[Page 17475]] TRIBUTE TO MARTHELIA HARGROVE ON BEING AWARDED THE 2001 JOSEPH AND FRANK DUVENECK HUMANITARIAN AWARD FOR REGIONAL SERVICE ______ HON. ANNA G. ESHOO of california in the house of representatives Thursday, September 20, 2001 Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great American and distinguished California, Marthelia Hargrove, who is being honored with the 2001 Josephine and Frank Duveneck Humanitarian Award for regional service on Saturday, September 22, 2001, in Los Altos Hills, California. Named the National Principal of the Year for 2000-2001 by the National Alliance of Black School Educators, Marthelia Hargrove has distinguished herself as a passionate advocate of students and the disenfranchised, and as a model of excellence in teaching and administration. A native of the segregated South, Marthelia Hargrove traces her commitment to education back to a one-room schoolhouse near Oxford, North Carolina. A child growing up in the wake of the depression, her parents endured great sacrifice in order to ensure that Marthelia, her sister and her brother received a decent education. Marthelia Hargrove earned a scholarship to study at Virginia Union University in Richmond and a Master's Degree in early education form Petersburg's Virginia State University. Having married while in Richmond, Marthelia and her husband relocated to Santa Clara 28 years ago where they've lived ever since. In 1981, Marthelia Hargrove was appointed principal of the Brentwood Oaks School in East Palo Alto. Nine years later, she took the helm at Costano School, determined to transform this low-achieving elementary school into a premier teaching institution. During her eleven-year tenure, she has more than succeeded. Last year, Costano's score in the California Academic Performance Index was 142 points higher than the previous year and 84 points higher than the state median. The recipient of the Ravenswood Principal of the Year Award, Marthelia Hargrove has also been honored by the Mid-peninsula NAACP, the San Jose University Department of Teacher Education, the Ravenswood Community Nguzo Saba Committee, the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department and the City of East Palo Alto. A member of the National Political Congress of Black Women, she also serves on the Board of the East Palo Alto Kids Foundation. Marthelia Hargrove has dedicated her life to building extraordinary educational institutions that involve students, parents and community members as stakeholders and beneficiaries. She has worked hard to provide a brighter future for underprivileged children and for children of diverse ethnicities and backgrounds. It is therefore fitting that Marthelia Hargrove is being honored with the 2001 Josephine and Frank Duveneck Humanitarian Award. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in honoring this great and good woman who has given so much to our young citizens and to our educational institutions. We are indeed a better nation, a better community and a better people because of her. ____________________