[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14147-14148]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO PATRICIA HARPER GARRETT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 9, 2003

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Patricia 
Harper Garrett, of whom it can be said, ``Teaching was in her genes.'' 
Her grandmother was the Principal at Belle Glades Jr. High School and 
later Principal of Roosevelt Jenkins High School in Starke, Florida, 
where her parents were both students. At the end of this school year, 
Mrs. Garrett will be retiring from the teaching profession after 35 
years.
  Patricia Garrett is a graduate of George Washington Carver High 
School and Bethune Cookman College. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa 
Alpha Sorority, Inc. and an Associate Member of Jack and Jill of 
America.
  Throughout her teaching career, her title has changed several times, 
including Work Experience Coordinator at Booker T. Washington and 
Richmond Heights Junior High Schools and Cooperative Education 
Coordinator/Department Chairperson at Miami Sunset Senior High School. 
However, her goal

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has always been the same: to make a positive and lasting difference in 
the lives of young people.
  Ms. Garrett realized at an early age, from years of watching her 
grandmother and mother who were both teachers, that education was 
crucially important. After college, she came to realize that her skills 
could best be utilized helping to educate young people.
  Ms. Garrett has received numerous honors over the years in 
recognition of her skill, commitment, dedication, and enthusiasm for 
educating young people. In 1997, she received perhaps her greatest 
honor: the selection of her daughter, Jessica Garrett--a fourth-
generation teacher in her family as Miami-Dade Public Schools Region 
Beginning Teacher of the Year. The legacy of educators continues with 
her youngest daughter, April Garrett, who is in her first year of 
teaching.
  Congratulations, Patricia Harper Garrett. Thank you for your service, 
and enjoy your retirement.

                          ____________________