[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 91]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   IN MEMORY OF ELIZABETH TERWILLIGER

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, it is with a heavy heart that I ask 
my colleagues to join me today in honoring the memory of an 
extraordinary Californian, Elizabeth Terwilliger.
  To the Marin County community, Elizabeth Terwilliger was a renowned 
naturalist and educator, beloved by schoolchildren and adults, who 
leaves an amazing environmental legacy. She died on November 27, 2006 
at the age of 97. She is survived by her daughter Lynn, her son John, 
and several grandchildren.
  Elizabeth Cooper was born in Hawaii in 1909. She moved to the 
mainland to pursue a master's degree in nutrition from Columbia 
University in New York and then attended Stanford nursing school. While 
at Stanford, she met her husband, Dr. Calvin Terwilliger. After World 
War II, the couple settled in Mill Valley, California where they raised 
two children.
  Elizabeth took her children on nature walks throughout Marin County. 
Soon, she was leading nature walks for local Girl Scout and Boy Scout 
troops. Her unique hands-on style and storytelling ability became known 
throughout the community and soon she began leading field trips for 
area schools and environmental organizations. Leading such trips 5 days 
a week became her life's work.
  For the 50 years that followed, every child growing up in Marin 
County knew Mrs. Terwilliger. She was a famous and beloved educator who 
traveled across the county in her familiar van filled with life-like 
animal models to teach school children about nature. Upon sight of her 
characteristic floppy straw hat, children would come running and follow 
her through the woods with excitement and adoration. They would soak up 
her stories and bring them home to teach their parents.
  Those who knew Mrs. Terwilliger well recount her mesmerizing 
personality, her passion for nature and wildlife, and her openhearted 
way with children and adults alike.
  In 1984, President Ronald Reagan honored Mrs. Terwilliger as an 
outstanding volunteer. While accepting the award at the White House, 
she shared one of her famous stories about ``Mr. Vulture,'' and had 
President Reagan holding his arms over his head in the ``V'' position, 
representing a vulture in flight.
  In addition to leading nature education programs, Mrs. Terwilliger 
was an advocate for environmental conservation and open space. She 
campaigned for a monarch butterfly preserve, bicycle paths, wetlands 
and open space preservation. She received numerous awards and has two 
preserves named after her: Terwilliger Marsh in Mill Valley and 
Terwilliger Butterfly Grove at Muir Beach.
  She inspired Joan Linn Bekins to create the Elizabeth Terwilliger 
Nature Education Foundation, which later became known as WildCare. 
Using educational programs developed by Mrs. Terwilliger, the center 
provides nature programs for over 40,000 Bay Area schoolchildren each 
year. The center also treats thousands of wildlife each year, 
rehabilitating them and returning them to their natural environment.
  Mrs. Terwilliger often said, ``while you're learning, you're 
living.'' Her life's passion was to teach people how to embrace and 
love nature. She was a local treasure and a wonderful, inspiring woman.
  I knew Mrs. Terwilliger and respected and admired her greatly. She 
will be deeply missed.
  For those of us who were fortunate to know her, we take comfort in 
knowing that schoolchildren will continue to learn from Mrs. 
Terwilliger's unique educational style at WildCare. Her vision, her 
passion and her spirit will remain in the countless lives she 
touched.

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