[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Page 1718]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                IN RECOGNITION OF PEG BRADLEY'S BIRTHDAY

 Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of Peg 
Bradley upon her fiftieth birthday. She is a woman with a kind heart, 
diverse interests and great abilities. She is one of the most 
remarkable people with whom I served in State government. In a State as 
small as ours, her dedication and tenacity have become legendary. She 
truly embodies the best of Delaware. I consider it a privilege to have 
known her and an even greater privilege to have worked closely with her 
on Delaware's education reforms in the decade of the 1990s.
  Just 50 years ago, Peg was born in Kansas to O. Wayne and Wilma 
Gordon. While her journey to Delaware took her many places in the years 
preceding it, when she arrived at the University of Delaware in the 
late 1960s, she found her true home. With her diploma in hand, Peg 
embarked upon a career that would set the tone for education 
innovations throughout the State of Delaware and across the Nation.
  The proud mother of three children, Kirsten, Carrie and Cort, and the 
grandmother to 4-year-old Xavier, Peg lives her life through the eyes 
of children.
  While Peg learned and honed her craft teaching elementary school 
children, she really made her mark when she opened and became the first 
Director of the Preschool at Concordia Lutheran Church. Then, in 1992, 
Peg ran for State Representative as a Democrat in the most Republican 
District in the State of Delaware and won. During her 2 years in the 
State House, she sponsored legislation that dramatically expanded Head 
Start opportunities for Delaware youngsters and began drawing attention 
to the important role that the first few years of a child's life play 
in their ability to learn and go on to live productive lives.
  Peg served as my education adviser during most of my 8 years as 
Governor. She was instrumental in helping me work my education reform 
proposals through the legislature, through the education community, and 
through the public from their infancy to implementation. She worked 
tirelessly to ensure that the reforms we made reflected what was best 
for Delaware's children. Today, Delaware has rigorous academic 
standards, the ability to measure objectively student progress toward 
those standards, and real accountability, in no small part because of 
Peg Bradley's stewardship and persistence. Part of her legacy is the 
consistent improvement in academic performance at all grade levels in 
Delaware in core subjects like math, English, language arts and 
science.
  Together, along with the support of the legislature, the business 
community, many parents and educators, we amassed a record of 
innovative accomplishments, including unprecedented support for charter 
schools and public school choice; standards-based education, statewide 
testing and accountability. She even persuaded me to support a public 
school choice bill written by a certain State Senator named Rick Hauge. 
Just last week they celebrated their first wedding anniversary.
  Peg helped me win battles that seemed daunting. In doing so, she won 
the grudging respect of more than a handful of cynics along the way. 
More than almost anyone else, Peg Bradley helped shape the legacy of my 
administration and change the face of education in Delaware.
  Peg was an invaluable advisor, mentor, and resource to me throughout 
the last decade. She takes pride in her work and has made hundreds of 
educators and parents proud to work alongside of her. During the time 
that I was chairman of the National Governors' Association, we focused 
a good deal of our attention on raising student performance. Peg's 
assistance to me during that stressful time was invaluable and afforded 
her with an opportunity to play a significant role on a national stage.
  Today, I rise both to celebrate this milestone moment in Peg's life 
and to shine a spotlight on her momentous commitment and countless 
contributions to the community. She is living proof that a life filled 
with good works is a good life indeed. I thank her for her friendship, 
congratulate her on her first 50 years and wish her and her husband 
Rick only the very best in the years that lie ahead.

                          ____________________