[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 23]
[House]
[Page 31798]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING MRS. MARIANNE HEINEMANN RUSSO

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Meek) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am honored and I want to thank 
Members of Congress for allowing me to make this statement. This is 
concerning the death of a very dear friend of mine and a great American 
that has served our country, Marianne Russo. On November 12, 2007, Ms. 
Russo died at the age of 71 in her home in Elkdale House in Lincoln 
University, Pennsylvania.
  Ms. Russo was born on May 7, 1936, in New Canaan, Connecticut. She 
graduated from Little Red Schoolhouse, New Canaan Country Day School, 
the Baldwin School and Mount Holyoke College.
  She earned a master's degree in history at Columbia University and a 
master's in linguistics at the University of Delaware. During the peak 
of the civil rights movement, Ms. Russo and her husband, the late Paul 
Anthony Russo, made a significant contribution to history by teaching 
at Lincoln University, a historically black institution.
  Ms. Russo's passion for teaching and writing prompted her to organize 
a local writers' group and participated in the Key West Literary 
Seminar, which created the Marianne Russo scholarship for inspiring 
writers.
  In addition to this achieving excellence as a teacher and a writer, 
Ms. Russo coordinated grass-roots efforts to elect progressive 
Democratic candidates to serve on local, State and Federal Government 
levels. In fact, she was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement 
Award from the OxGrove Democratic Committee.
  Today I ask Members of Congress to take time to honor Ms. Russo who 
is not only a patriot but a great American. Ms. Russo dedicated her 
life to serving others as a teacher and a published writer.
  As an accomplished author, teacher, political activist, and recipient 
of numerous awards and honors, Ms. Russo has truly left behind an 
excellent legacy. Her excellence will continue to shine through her 
four children and four grandchildren, all of the individuals she 
enriched in her classrooms, organizations and literary works.
  As a member of the Congressional District 17 in Miami, Florida, I 
have the honor to be the Congressman for her daughter, Monica Russo, 
President of SEIU Healthcare Florida, and also serves on the 
international board of SEIU.
  In addition, I have the opportunity and great honor and the blessed 
privilege to be the godfather for her granddaughter, Giovanna, who I 
love and appreciate, and I know that she will continue the family 
legacy.
  Mr. Speaker, I think it is important that we recognize Americans like 
Ms. Russo and her husband, Mr. Russo. They are in a better place now. 
And what they have left here in this country and here in the United 
States of America is a sense of pride, a sense of activism, and a sense 
of love.
  I would also like to state into the Record that a memorial and 
celebration in her honor celebrating her life will be held on Saturday, 
November 17, 2007, at 2:00 p.m. at Penns Grove School Auditorium, 301 
South Fifth Street, Oxford, Pennsylvania.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to furthermore say that many times Members 
come to the floor to share with the Members of Congress the great 
contributions of Americans that have moved on to a greater place, some 
on the battlefield in an area of war, some that were patriots here 
teaching and pushing Americans to take part in this democracy. I am 
very proud of Ms. Russo's accomplishments. I know that her spirit will 
continue to live in this country, and I know there are other Ms. Russos 
that are out there that are going to carry the spirit at the grassroots 
level.
  I say to the Russo family that is gathered at the family home to 
celebrate her life, celebrate her life as though she is still here, 
because she is. And she will live within you and live within me and 
live within other Americans that appreciate Americans like her.
  Mr. Speaker, it gives me great honor, before we go on this 
Thanksgiving break when we surround ourselves with family and friends, 
to let you know that sometimes we have to cry, sometimes we have to 
pray, and sometimes we even have joy. I ask during the holiday season, 
and especially for the Russo family, to live within the joy that you 
remember in your heart and your mind of her contributions to your 
family and to our country.

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