February 3, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- Extensions of Remarks E179
pedic knowledge of politics represented every one of his constituencies.
Mike is a Bay Area native born on May 27, 1944 in San Mateo, California. Always interested in politics, his first office was senior class president at Hayward High and later, student body president at Chabot College.
Mike was an Army volunteer and served two years in Okinawa. The young veteran returned to the Bay Area after completing his tour of duty and began working as a youth counselor.
He became one of the founders and eventually Executive Director of the Hayward-based Project Eden, a non-profit organization that offered drug counseling to the city's ``street kids.'' In 1977, Mike moved to Sonoma County to begin working for the county's drug and alcohol program, again as a counselor to youth.
Mike settled in Forestville and soon became active in west county politics, no doubt influenced by his neighbor, Ernie Carpenter, who became the 5th District Supervisor in 1978.
From 1981 to 1985, Mike served as Administrative Assistant to state Assemblyman Dan Hauser, whose 1st District ran from Sonoma County to the Oregon border. During his tenure with Hauser, Mike was a key player in the designation of the Lost Coast Sinkyone Wilderness Area for public use, drafting initial legislation banning oil and gas development in Northern California state waters, the restoration of the Point Arena Pier, and regional issues pertaining to fishing and timber extraction.
In 1986 Mike Reilly became Executive Director of West County Community Services, a non-profit that grew from a 70's era all volunteer ``River Switchboard,'' to an organization offering a variety of services for people of all ages. Under Mike's leadership, West County Community Services developed an excellent drug and alcohol abuse programs, led in the establishment of the Russian River Senior Center and the Sebastopol Teen Center and opened a homeless shelter. For thirteen years, Mike also served as a trustee for the Forestville Elementary School District and the West County High School District.
When Supervisor Carpenter announced his retirement from public office in 1995, Mike Reilly embarked on a grueling eighteen month campaign to successfully succeed him. Mike's hard fought campaign and subsequent service allowed him to coast to two unopposed reelection victories in the years ahead. These were not years without challenges, however, including huge floods on the lower Russian River in 1997 and 1999, years of underfunded services in rural areas and the heavily urbanized Roseland area in the district, and a sometimes lonely role as an environmental advocate on the Board of Supervisors.
Despite these difficulties Mike was able to forge agreements that led to county support of home elevation program on the flood prone Russian River, the formation of the Russian River Redevelopment District, and ordinances regulating forest conversions and vineyard grading, as well as untangling hundreds of
I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing remorse at the passing of one of North Carolina's greatest coaches, a woman who was one of the most admired and respected coaches on the national and international scenes. Her perseverance and dedication in the face of a deadly battle with cancer is an inspiration to us all.
f TRIBUTE TO ANN SWENSON HON. TOM LATHAM OF IOWA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Tuesday, February 3, 2009 Mr. LATHAM. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the excellence in education in the 4th Congressional District of Iowa, and to specifically congratulate Ann Swenson of Norwalk Community School District, who earned the National Board Certification-the highest level of certification in the teaching profession.
National Board Certification is a voluntary assessment program designed to recognize and reward great teachers. National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) have successfully demonstrated advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices. Certification is achieved through a rigorous, performance-based assessment that typically takes one to three years to complete. Certification is offered in 25 different subjects, covering 97 percent of the subjects taught in K-12 schools.
I congratulate Ann Swenson on her well-deserved certification, and I'm certain that she will continue to touch the lives of many youth in her community. It is a great honor to represent Ann in the United States Congress, and I wish her continued success.
f HONORING THE WORK OF SUPERVISOR MIKE REILLY HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY OF CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Tuesday, February 3, 2009 Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today along with my colleague, Congressman MIKE THOMPSON, to honor one of our districts' most hard working public servants, Mike Reilly of Forestville, California, who has recently retired from the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.
For twelve years as County Supervisor, Mike represented Sonoma County's 5th District a vast rambling, and fantastically beautiful place that encompasses the entire 53 miles of Sonoma County's coast, redwood forests, vineyards, the Russian River, and the western edge of our largest city, Santa Rosa. Known as ``West County,'' the 5th District is Sonoma County's most progressive with a vibrant and diverse population of ethnicity, sexual orientation and economic backgrounds. Mike Reilly, with his intelligence, people skills and encyclo
EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS HONORING THE MEMORY OF COACH KAY YOW HON. HEATH SHULER OF NORTH CAROLINA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Tuesday, February 3, 2009 Mr. SHULER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Kay Yow, one of the highest-achieving college basketball coaches in the history of the sport. One of only six Division I head women's basketball coaches to achieve 700 career victories, Coach Yow led the women's basketball team at North Carolina State University from 1975 to 2009. She continued her winning coaching career even as she faced a 22-year battle with breast cancer.
In 1975, Yow was hired as the head coach of the women's basketball program at NC State as well as the head coach of both the softball and volleyball teams and the coordinator of women's sports. A female leader amidst a mostly male coaching staff, Yow found immediate success as she took her first squad to the Women's National Invitation Tournament and completed the season with a 19-7 record. Since then, Yow has coached some of the nation's most well known players, including WNBA All-Stars like Andrea Stinson, Chasity Melvin (NC State's all-time leading scorer), Genia Beasley, and current Assistant Coach, Trena Trice-Hill.
Yow is part of an elite group of eight Olympic coaches chosen to lead USA Basketball in the pursuit of an Olympic gold medal in women's basketball. Yow served as an Assistant Coach on the 1984 gold medal-winning coaching staff and three more gold medal-winning teams, including the 1979 World University Games, the 1983 Pan American Games, and the 1984 R. Williams Jones Cup. Yow also was part of the 1983 World Championship club that earned a silver medal.
She served as Head Coach of the 1988 gold medal-winning Olympic team in Seoul, Korea as well as the gold medal winners at the 1981 World University Games, the 1986 Goodwill Games and the 1986 World Championship Games. She was the first coach to win two Olympic gold medals since women's basketball was first included in the Olympics in 1976.
In April of 2008, Coach Yow received the Mildred ``Babe'' Zaharias Didrikson Courage Award from the United States Sports Academy, recognizing her achievements in the face of serious personal challenges. Yow missed 16 games during the 2007 season to receive treatment for the cancer that was first diagnosed in 1987. Upon her return to the team in 2007, she led the Wolfpack on an inspirational run to the ACC Championship game and to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament.
Cancer took the life of Coach Kay Yow on January 24, 2009. Throughout her life, Coach Yow sacrificed to continuously be a mentor and friend to her players and make them the best players they could be. Madame Speaker, e not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.
than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor.
mt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR-FM-A03FE8.001 E03FEPT1