[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4506]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNITION OF LOILA HUNKING, CHILDCARE SERVICES COORDINATOR FOR THE 
                         STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a very 
special South Dakotan who has made a real difference in the lives of 
women, children, and families across my home State. Today is Loila 
Hunking's last day as Childcare Services Coordinator for the State of 
South Dakota. While I'm sure this is not the last we have seen of 
Loila, I wanted to use the occasion of her retirement to honor her 
tireless work in many capacities for the people of the State of South 
Dakota.
  After some time as a reporter and editor for our State's largest 
newspaper, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, Loila turned to a career as a 
high school English and Journalism teacher in Brandon, SD. During this 
time, Loila was an active member in the South Dakota Education 
Association, and also served in the South Dakota House of 
Representatives. Her time in the South Dakota Legislature is marked by 
her strong support for equal rights for women, enactment of a spousal 
rape law, credit regulation, and human rights issues. After leaving the 
legislature, Loila continued her work as an advocate in many 
capacities, truly leading the charge for issues important to women.
  In 1976, Loila developed the first tool to measure community child 
care needs in South Dakota. Together with the Augustana Research 
Institute, Loila worked to put together a survey questionnaire and 
process of statistical computation that would assess child care needs 
and the causation of those needs in communities across South Dakota. 
Because of this survey, communities were able to explore the 
availability and scope of services and suggested relationships between 
women's career mobility, educational advancement, and child care 
opportunities.
  As Chair of the South Dakota Commission on the Status of Women, Loila 
worked on a landmark publication that brought the serious issue of 
domestic violence into the light of day in South Dakota. The report 
published in 1979, and titled ``A Conspiracy of Silence: A Report on 
Spouse Abuse in South Dakota'' exposed the high occurrence of domestic 
violence in our State for the first time. State officials and the 
general population were stunned by the dramatic statistics the report 
revealed. The report offered important data and information to 
lawmakers who soon realized that this was not an issue that could be 
ignored.
  Over the next two decades, Loila served as a member of the Sioux 
Falls School Board, the Sioux Falls City Commission, and as Chair of 
the South Dakota Democratic Party. Her tenure in all these positions 
was always marked by her devotion to the needs of children and families 
in South Dakota communities. In 1996, Governor Janklow appointed Loila 
as Childcare Services Coordinator for the state of South Dakota. He 
made an excellent choice. Throughout her years in that office, Loila 
has been dedicated to expanding, developing and improving childcare 
services in our state. She will be greatly missed.
  Over the years, I have known that I can always count on Loila to give 
me the story, straight. I have always appreciated her no-nonsense 
approach to policy, government, and politics. It's my hope that Loila 
will find time in her retirement to continue to serve women, children, 
and all of South Dakota. She has always been a strong voice for those 
who were in need of one. She truly has made South Dakota a better place 
to live. I offer her my whole-hearted congratulations and thanks upon 
her retirement, and wish her all the best in her future 
endeavors.

                          ____________________