[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6258]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO RUTH NAGLER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 26, 2006

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of the 
most extraordinary women in the Bay Area, Ruth Nagler. Mrs. Nagler has 
lived in the 12th District of California for the past 50 plus years and 
her contributions to the community deserve recognition.
  Ruth Nagler was born and raised in New York. Nagler received an 
undergraduate degree from College of the City of New York in 1943, and 
subsequently received a Master of Arts in education from New York 
University in 1945. She and her husband, Edmund, are parents to three 
children.
  Mr. Speaker, after moving to San Mateo Ruth Nagler immediately 
immersed herself in our community, joining the League of Women Voters 
of the Mid-Peninsula in 1951, eventually serving as the president of 
this valuable organization for three years. In addition, Ruth Nagler 
served for 10 years as a trustee of the San Mateo City Elementary 
School District Board, where she was a leader and integral component of 
one of the earliest state school desegregation programs in California, 
and in our nation. With this background, Ruth Nagler was the perfect 
choice to become Director of Community Education for Canada College, 
one of the three colleges of the San Mateo County Community College 
District. Ruth Nagler left her mark both at Canada College and at the 
San Mateo County Community College District during the 20 years she 
worked for the institution. During that time, she initiated, designed, 
developed and administered non-credit short courses, workshops, 
conferences and special events for more than 48,000 people.
  Mr. Speaker, since retirement Ruth Nagler has remained active in 
community activities, and in fact her involvement in the community is 
too long to list here but allow me to highlight a few of the things she 
has done. She was coordinator of the ``San Mateo County 2000'' drive 
for the public school system, she was chair of the Friends of the 
Advisory Council on Women, a member of the Mills-Peninsula Hospital 
Board of Trustees, chair of the San Mateo Performing Arts Center Board 
of Directors, and directed a successful effort to refurbish the High 
School District's theater.
  In addition to these organizations and her continued work with San 
Mateo League of Women Voters, Ruth Nagler has also selflessly devoted 
herself to a myriad of community service organizations including; 
Planned Parenthood, American Association of University Women, United 
Nations Association, San Mateo County American Cancer Society, San 
Mateo Parents Cooperative Nursery School, and the San Mateo City 
Citizens Task Force to Study Needs of Seniors. Mr. Speaker, the wide 
range of associations with which Ruth Nagler been has involved clearly 
highlight her commitment to our community.
  For her diligent work, she has been duly recognized over the years. 
Notably, in 2003, she was named ``Woman of the Year'' by California 
Assemblyman Gene Mullin. In 1990, Ruth Nagler was the recipient of the 
Beyond War Foundation award for ``helping to build a global community 
and thereby create a secure and sustainable future for all.''
  Mr. Speaker, Ruth Nagler is an inspirational leader and we can learn 
much from her actions, her leadership and her ability to create change. 
I urge all of my colleagues to join me in tribute to Ruth Nagler for 
her tireless efforts to better the San Mateo County community and our 
nation.

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