[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 21737]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  COMMENDING CAROLE ROPER PARK VAUGHAN

 Mrs. McCASKILL. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to my 
friend and former colleague, as well as an outstanding woman of 
service, Carole Roper Park Vaughan. From 1977 through 1994, Carole 
represented the 51st District of Missouri, which includes the home of 
President Harry S. Truman, in the Missouri House of Representatives. On 
September 18, Carole will celebrate her 70th birthday, and I just want 
to take a few minutes today to honor her and the contribution she made 
to so many lives in Missouri.
  Carole was born to Rudy and Rose Roper of Sugar Creek, MO, both 
children of Croatian emigrants. Carole's father served as the mayor of 
Sugar Creek for 40 years, from 1940 until 1980, so she came by her 
political acumen naturally. In fact, while other little girls were 
playing with dolls, stuffed animals, or having teas, Carole was with 
her father learning the art of making a deal, a skill she would later 
take with her to the State legislature.
  Though politics was in her blood, her dedication to public service 
did not begin with elected office. After graduating from the University 
of Missouri-Kansas City with a bachelor of arts degree in education, 
Carole pursued a teaching career in the Kansas City school district. 
For 12 years, she taught elementary education in some of the poorest 
school districts in the Kansas City area. It was here that she fully 
realized the importance of community involvement. Her students were 
faced with everyday challenges she had never experienced before, and 
there was a real need for change. As a teacher, however, Carole felt 
she was limited in how she could effect the meaningful change that was 
desperately needed in her community.
  Despite her pedigree and desire to make a difference, Carole's 
ascension into public office happened almost by accident. When the 
current legislator in her district suddenly became ill and died, those 
in the community who were impressed by her interest in changing the 
status quo encouraged her run. She filed for office on the day of the 
filing deadline, and in 1976, she was elected to represent the 51st 
District of Missouri. Thankfully, for the people of Missouri, there was 
nothing accidental about her approach to legislating. Hailing from the 
home of Harry Truman, Carole had a real no-nonsense style about her, 
and she could get things done.
  During her 18 years as a member of the Missouri House of 
Representatives, Carole sponsored 93 bills, many of which became law, 
including the largest insurance reform bill in Missouri history. But 
what Carole was most known for was her vigorous pursuit to improve the 
way the State of Missouri delivered health and mental health care. In 
1981, she became the first woman in Missouri history to chair a 
standing appropriations committee, and for 13 years Carole reigned over 
the Committee on Appropriations for Health and Mental Health. At the 
time she was appointed to this position, Missouri was headed into a 
recession, and there was a desperate need to cut health services. Yet 
Carole was able to make the necessary changes without sacrificing 
services. In fact, throughout her tenure as chair of the committee, 
Missouri reduced overall costs of mental health care programs while 
improving the services it provided.
  Carole's dedication to those suffering from mental illness, 
developmental disabilities, head injuries, and substance abuse was 
truly unparalleled. While her work with community mental health centers 
or substance abuse programs seldom made the front page, she worked 
tirelessly in the pursuit of better treatment for these special 
citizens. The result of her dedication was the transformation of a 
badly broken mental health system into a community-based approach that 
provided real options for some of our most vulnerable.
  In 1995, Carole retired from the Missouri House of Representatives, 
but her commitment to her community and the democratic process has 
continued. She has remained dedicated to improving services for the 
mentally ill, substance abusers, and victims of domestic violence. She 
has worked with Thank You Walt Disney Inc. to help restore Walt 
Disney's downtown Kansas City Studio. She has worked tirelessly to 
elect democratic candidates who embody the same steadfast dedication to 
effect change that she had during her time in public service, including 
devoting countless hours on the phones and going door-to-door for then 
Presidential candidate Barack Obama. Once again, her hard work paid 
off.
  Mr. President, I ask the Senate to join me in wishing Carole Roper 
Park Vaughan a very happy 70th birthday. She has been a remarkable 
servant to the citizens of the State of Missouri and I am grateful to 
call her my friend.

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