[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 20554-20555]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNIZING THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF JESSIE FULLERTON BARRETT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 10, 2002

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate 
Jessie Barrett, the grandmother of my staff member Jennifer Barrett, on 
Jessie's 100th birthday. Jessie will turn 100 on November 5th. 
Jennifer's father (also Jessie's son) Peter came up with a few 
reflections on Jessie's life that I would like to submit for the 
Record. The way Jennifer describes her grandmother, it seems clear that 
Jessie is a strong woman who played a vital role in the family's 
development and progress over the years, through the hard times as well 
as the good times. I congratulate her on living such a full life and 
for the inspiration she has always been to her family and to everyone 
who has known her.

             Comments and Reflections by the Barrett Family

       Jessie was raised in Plainfield, New Jersey, where her 
     father ran a business, the Watchung Stone Company. Neither of 
     her parents attended college, but both believed in the 
     importance of education. Jessie recalls the excitement in her 
     town when Andrew Carnegie donated money for a library, and 
     she also recalls that she and her brothers looked forward 
     each week to spending most of Saturday in the library. Hard 
     work in their studies and the family attitude about the 
     importance of education determined her family's life paths. 
     With a background of university studies and law school, her 
     brother became President and CEO of Florida Power & Light 
     Corporation, while Jessie gained teaching skills at Wheelock 
     College in Boston. After meeting a special young man at 
     Harvard, Hollis Barrett, she and her new husband set out for 
     the wilds of California, where Hollis built a successful life 
     as a real estate broker.
       Jessie seems to have passed on her interest in teaching to 
     her family; her daughter, Martha, taught students at both the 
     elementary and high school levels, while her son, Peter, 
     pursued a career in academic medicine at UCLA, which involved 
     him in the training of medical students and internal medicine 
     residents. Jessie has also taken great pride in the 
     accomplishments of her five grandchildren. Following in his 
     father's footsteps,

[[Page 20555]]

     John is a physician; Anna, the youngest, is a project manager 
     for a non-profit organization involved in health care access; 
     and Jennifer is Rep. Mark Udall's Deputy Legislative 
     Director. Jessie's Texas granddaughters, Barbara and Nancy, 
     are pursuing both careers and motherhood, and Jessie is now a 
     great-grandmother for the two youngest members of the family, 
     Audrey and Grace.
       A few more words about Jessie will allow the reader to know 
     something about her as a person, and perhaps to understand 
     how she has been able to enjoy life for several decades 
     longer than many of her friends. If only one word could be 
     used to describe her, it would be ``optimist.'' That point of 
     view was reflected in her daily approach to life as well as 
     in her general philosophy. Her optimism even extended to 
     thunder storms, as she pointed out that ``. . . if you can 
     see enough blue sky to make a sailor a pair of pants, then 
     you know the storm is clearing up.'' Consistent with her 
     philosophy, no matter how hard it was raining, she was always 
     able to see a patch of blue sky, even when no one else could 
     see it. Importantly, she has shared this philosophy with the 
     children she taught in school, and with her own family.
       Jessie's life spanned most of the twentieth century. She 
     saw both Halley's Comet and Mark Twain in 1910, waved goodbye 
     to relatives as they sailed for France in World War I, manned 
     a coastal watch tower in World War II, and watched Americans 
     walk on the moon. The Great Depression had a great impact on 
     the family and on their views about investments and savings.
       She has dedicated her life to her family, and imbued them 
     with a strong devotion to each other, a love of learning and 
     education, and a strong sense of patriotism. And it should be 
     noted that she loves all her grandchildren, even though some 
     of them have joined the Democratic Party.
       Jessie continues to enjoy life and looks forward to the 
     family celebration on November 5th. The family will also 
     remember to vote on that date, but the most important event 
     of the day for them will be ``Nana Jessie's'' 100th birthday.
     Peter V. Barrett, MD
     Martha B. Bell

     

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