[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19106]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   IN HONOR OF THE LIFE AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF ELIZABETH UPHAM-McWEBB

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                          HON. JOHN D. DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 2, 2002

  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Elizabeth 
Upham-McWebb, known to the world as ``Aunt Bett'' on the dedication of 
her statue of Little Brown Bear, and to commemorate her on ninety-eight 
prosperous years.
  Born and raised in Monroe County, which is part of Michigan's 16th 
Congressional District, Aunt Bett grew up telling stories and writing 
with her parents and eight siblings. Aunt Bett has always loved working 
with children. After attending school, she became an elementary school 
teacher; she still enjoys teaching Sunday school to Monroe County 
youth. Aunt Bett's most famous accomplishments include authoring 
numerous verses and stories for children. The most well-known of these 
are Little Brown Bear and Little Brown Monkey. These remarkable stories 
have become favorites among children everywhere.
  In May 1978, Aunt Bett was awarded a special state tribute. She also 
received numerous awards for her writing. Her rhymes and stories have 
been widely published in magazines, books and textbook readers.
  Aunt Bett has benefited the community of Monroe County in countless 
ways. For decades she has been entertaining and assisting the reading 
world with her writing and teaching. In addition, she and her husband 
donated their playhouse to the Monroe County fair where it continues to 
serve as an exciting attraction to county children and adults. Aunt 
Bett has illustrated several safety posters that inform children of 
important safety rules. The Elizabeth Upham-McWebb ``Little Brown 
Bear'' Fund is endowed by the Trustees for the Community Foundation of 
Monroe County and with a major grant from the C.S. and Marion F. 
McIntyre Foundation to support programs which encourage children to 
read books.
  Little Brown Bear has become a celebrity in the Monroe County 
Community. Monroe County libraries have organized a sign-up for 
residents who want to take Little Brown Bear along on their travels. 
This program has been very successful; in fact Little Brown Bear has 
traveled to countries such as England, Germany, Finland, Korea, Sweden, 
Thailand and Australia with Monroe County residents. In Germany he 
received an honorary pilot's license and German visa. Little Brown Bear 
has compiled an interesting collection of worldwide library cards for 
the Monroe libraries.
  A pride and joy of Monroe County, Aunt Bett is admired and loved by 
all. Today Monroe is honoring Aunt Bett with this 900-pound bronze 
statue of Little Brown Bear, to be placed outside the Dorsch Memorial 
Library. The statue is a tribute to Aunt Bett and will remind residents 
of her legacy for decades to come. A community based event, more than 
fifty percent of the work on the statue was donated. Built to last 
centuries, the statue will undoubtedly remain an honorable Monroe 
County fixture.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like you to join me in commending Elizabeth 
Upham-McWebb for her leadership in both her community and her country, 
as we dedicate this statue and celebrate her 98th birthday.

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