[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 5898]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO MARGARET SULLIVAN WILSON

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, today I rise to honor one of 
Connecticut's finest educators: Margaret Sullivan Wilson.
  Peg Wilson is a lifelong resident of Norwich, CT. Throughout her 
life, she has been dedicated to serving the people of her native city, 
as well as improving educational opportunities for children in 
Connecticut and, indeed, in America.
  A 1944 graduate of Willimantic State Teachers College--now Eastern 
Connecticut State University--Peg received a bachelor's degree in 
education. She also attained a master's degree from the University of 
Connecticut. Between 1945 and 1950, she taught at Norwich Elementary 
School and was a reading supervisor in the Greenwich Public Schools. 
Returning to Eastern in 1950, Peg devoted herself to improving early 
childhood education.
  In particular, Peg has dedicated herself to changing the way young 
students are taught. She advocated providing an individual approach to 
early childhood education, which was considered radical by many 
educators in the early 1950s. However, over the ensuing decades this 
approach has become widely accepted as the best method of preparing 
young children for success in school and life.
  Peg Wilson was ahead of her time in recognizing the importance of 
providing children a comprehensive and demanding curriculum that 
considers each child's strengths and weaknesses. Her determination to 
improve early education was the driving passion of her career. As both 
a teacher and administrator, Peg imparted her ``radical'' theory to 
thousands of prospective teachers and parents during her nearly 40 
years at Eastern. This knowledge undoubtedly improved the lives of even 
more children in Connecticut and throughout the country. For that, we 
should all be grateful.
  During, and after her illustrious career at Eastern, Peg remained 
active in her community. While working at Eastern, Peg served on the 
Norwich Board of Education for 18 years. In addition, she is an 
original cofounder of the Norwich Historical Society, which is 
dedicated to promoting the history of that great New England town. In 
addition, she remained active in local politics, even running for city 
council president and State senate. Her contributions to her community 
have long been acknowledged; Peg received the Norwich Citizen of the 
Year Award in 1970.
  Although Peg Wilson retired from Eastern in 1989 as vice president 
for administration and fiscal affairs, her dedication to early 
childhood development has continued undiminished. Never losing sight of 
her dream of individualized, comprehensive education for young 
children, Peg returned to Eastern as an assistant to the president. In 
this role, she spent nearly 4 years attempting to gain support for a 
facility on Eastern's campus dedicated to early childhood development. 
Her hard work, alongside that of the president and senior staff of 
Eastern, finally paid off. On February 28, 2006, Eastern University 
dedicated the Margaret S. Wilson Child and Family Development Complex. 
This new complex currently serves 14 children, ages 3 and 4, in a new 
comprehensive preschool, implementing many of the ideas Margaret Wilson 
has espoused for almost 60 years. As the center grows, a limited number 
of infants and up to 60 toddlers will be served. In addition, the 
center will eventually offer onsite services such as health, education, 
and financial services to the participating families. Peg's vision of 
comprehensive child development is truly being realized.
  I would be remiss if I did not mention Peg's family: her late 
husband, W. Robert Wilson; her daughter, Margaret-Ellen Wilson; and her 
son, Dr. William Wilson, a recipient of Norwich's Native Son Award in 
1999. Their love and support has been instrumental in allowing Peg to 
devote her career to promoting early childhood development.
  As a Senator and a father of two young daughters, I am reminded every 
day of the importance of providing quality education early in a child's 
life. Throughout my career, I have strived to ensure that our country 
makes early childhood development a national priority. Today, I am 
honored to praise the work of someone who shares that commitment with 
me.
  Margaret Wilson has played an integral role in improving thousands of 
young students' lives and reshaping early childhood education. The 
Margaret S. Wilson Child and Family Development Complex stands as a 
testament to one of Connecticut's most admired and visionary educators. 
This complex will help ensure that future generations of Connecticut 
children are provided with a quality education early in life, which is 
critical for our Nation's future. On behalf of a grateful state and 
nation, I say thank you, Peg Wilson, for all that you have done and 
continue to do for the children of America.

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