[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 21957]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO IOWA STATE SENATOR MINNETTE DODERER

  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, former Iowa State Senator Minnette 
Doderer, who passed away last month, was one of the true giants of Iowa 
politics. Born into very humble circumstances in Holland, IA in 1923, 
she served 12 terms in the Iowa House and two terms in the Iowa Senate, 
where she was the first woman to serve as President pro tempore.
  Martin Luther King once said that ``Life's most urgent and persistent 
question is: What are you doing for others?'' During a long, feisty, 
and distinguished career in Iowa politics, Senator Doderer answered 
that question in spectacular fashion. She was a mentor and role model 
for women all across our State, a passionate champion of the Equal 
Rights Amendment, and an indomitable advocate for the poor, the 
neglected, and the voiceless in our State.
  Some people run for public office to be somebody. Senator Doderer ran 
in order to get things done. She saw injustice, discrimination, and 
sexism, and she fought it with tremendous skill and courage. Above all, 
she made a practical difference, especially for women. She championed 
and passed legislation on equal rights, rape law reform, child care, 
and juvenile justice laws that made a concrete, tangible difference in 
the lives of Iowans.
  Minnette Doderer was passionate about her family and her friends. She 
was a tough, tenacious fighter for what she believed in. She cared 
deeply about justice and fairness for ordinary people. Most of all, she 
was a good, decent, humane person--the kind of person that makes Iowa 
such a special place.
  I valued Minnette's friendship and counsel. Though I regret she is no 
longer with us, I celebrate the living legacy she left behind: a 
better, fairer, more just and equal Iowa, especially for our daughters. 
May she rest in peace.

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