[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19401]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING PONDER MAYOR VIVIAN COCKBURN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 29, 2005

  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor my 
friend, Vivian Cockburn. The spirit, courage, and passion she 
exemplifies as mayor of Ponder, Texas, and in her fight against ovarian 
cancer and yearly participation in the Annual Ovarian Cancer Walk is 
inspirational.
  Mayor Cockburn and her husband, Dan, have made Ponder, Texas, their 
home for the past 33 years. They were proud to raise their four 
children--Danny, Amanda, Christina, and Peter--in Ponder and are now 
blessed with seven grandchildren.
  Prior to becoming mayor, she was licensed as a vocational nurse for 
the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Justin in 1976. She then 
served as school nurse for the Ponder Independent School District in 
1984 and for Brandenburg Elementary in Irving, Texas, in 1997. Before 
serving at Brandenburg, Mayor Cockburn returned to school and received 
her Registered Nurse's degree from Texas Women's University. .
  Mayor Cockburn served on Ponder's Planning and Zoning Commission 
before being appointed as mayor by the Town Council on November 2, 
2000. Because of her outstanding leadership and commitment to the 
community, she was elected in May 2001 and reelected in May 2003 and 
again in 2005.
  As mayor, she has played a key role in making a positive impact on 
the lives of the citizens of Ponder through her strong initiatives of 
repairing the streets and community for the children, handicapped, and 
the elderly. Among her accomplishments, the town, under her superior 
guidance, was able to remodel city offices to become handicap 
accessible, implement a recycling program for its residents, and 
communicate with the Texas Department of Transportation to push for the 
repairs of State Highway 156. With the passage of the Transportation 
Reauthorization Bill in the U.S. House of Representatives today, $1.6 
million will go for FM 156 between Ponder and Krum. It was Mayor 
Cockburn's determination and commitment that truly made the project a 
reality, and I was glad to work with her on making this a high priority 
in the final passage. She also hopes for a city park with a playground 
where children of the community can safely play.
  It is my distinguished honor to recognize Mayor Cockburn for her 
outstanding service and commitment to the improvement and development 
of the Ponder community. Her leadership and devotion serves as an 
inspiration to myself and others.

                          ____________________