[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8073]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


             IN REMEMBRANCE OF HONORABLE BLANCHE KRUPANSKY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 7, 2008

  Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of Judge 
Blanche Krupansky, a pioneer for women in the judicial system, and to 
honor a life spent in service to her country and her community.
  Judge Krupansky, a lifelong resident of the Cleveland area, has a 
multifaceted and rich history of public service. Her story serves as an 
inspiration for women everywhere and she paved the way for women to 
succeed in becoming lawyers and judges.
  Honorable Krupansky was born in Cleveland, Ohio, where she attended 
West High School and Flora Stone College of Western Reserve University. 
A testament to her pioneering spirit, when she began law school at Case 
Western Reserve University in 1946, she was the only woman in her 
class.
  After earning her law degree, she remained in Ohio where she served 
as assistant attorney general as well as an assistant chief counsel for 
the Ohio Bureau of Worker's Compensation. In 1961, Judge Krupansky was 
elected to the Cleveland Municipal Court. She later moved to the 
Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court in 1969, where she would serve for 
almost 10 years.
  Honorable Krupansky made history twice during her long career of 
public service as a judge in Ohio. She became the first woman to serve 
on the 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals in 1977, where she would 
serve for over 30 years.
  In 1981, she became the second woman appointed to serve on the Ohio 
Supreme Court in its long 185-year history. Throughout her career, she 
encouraged women to pursue careers as lawyers and judges, as well as to 
run for political office. In 1994, she told a reporter at the Cleveland 
Plain Dealer, ``If I can do it, you can do it,'' in the hopes that she 
could inspire young women.
  In 1980, she was recognized for her ground-breaking career when she 
was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame. She also received the 
Women of Achievement award from the Women's City Club of Cleveland, the 
Distinguished Service Award from Woman Space, the Nettie Cronise Lutes 
Award for an Outstanding Woman Lawyer, the distinguished Alumna Award 
from Case Western Reserve University, and she once served as chair of 
the Society of Benchers of Case.
  Madam Speaker and colleagues, please join me in celebrating the life 
of Judge Blanche Krupansky, whose career in public service is a shining 
example for women everywhere. May her pioneering character and 
exemplary life serve as an example for all of us to follow.

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