September 10, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1453 

HONORING GLORIA GRIFFIN 

HON. BETTY McCOLLUM OF MINNESOTA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Monday, September 10, 2012 

Ms. MCCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, today I rise 

to honor the life and work of Gloria Griffin, a 

pioneer who dedicated her career to improving 

women’s status in Minnesota. 

Gloria Griffin was born in Iowa, grew up in 

California, and started her career in New York 

City as art director at Harper’s Bazaar and 

Good Housekeeping. In 1967, she moved to 

Minnesota with her husband and their four 

children. In 1976, she entered politics as the 

Democratic-Farmer-Labor-endorsed candidate 

for Minnesota’s Second Congressional District. 

She lost the race to the incumbent, but Governor Rudy Perpich recognized her potential 

and appointed her as Chair of his newly created Open Appointments Commission, where 

she helped change the face of government by 

placing more women and minorities in important positions. 

After the 1980 election, when Gloria witnessed that ‘‘women and children lost big in 

the legislature,’’ 23 organizations came together to create the Minnesota Women’s Consortium. Gloria was unanimously elected as 

the first Coordinator, and led the Consortium 

for 15 years. Under her leadership, the Consortium achieved significant milestones that 

helped it grow into the largest association of 

women’s organizations in the country. 

For the better part of a decade, the Minnesota Women’s Consortium was run out of a 

small storefront office. In 1988, Gloria Griffin 

led a group of women who transformed a decrepit building near the State Capitol into the 

Minnesota Women’s Building at 550 Rice 

Street. Gloria not only oversaw the new headquarters, but with cooperation from the 

League of Women Voters Education Fund, 

Chrysalis, and the Minnesota Women’s Consortium, the building was purchased and renovated debt-free. 

Gloria Griffin was the key to many more accomplishments and victories. In 1990, under 

pressure from anti-abortion groups, the Dayton 

Hudson Foundation withdrew their funding for 

Planned Parenthood of Minnesota’s educational programs. Gloria, along with thousands of women across Minnesota, was outraged at the defunding of these teen pregnancy prevention programs. She correctly predicted that this would only be a ‘‘momentary 

mistake,’’ and organized a successful campaign that resulted in Dayton Hudson reversing its decision and restoring funding. 

Gloria Griffin was not only a leader on women’s policy issues; she was also a mentor to 

individual women. In the years to come, her 

championship of women earned her numerous 

awards, including the YWCA St. Paul Leadership Award for Outstanding Contribution to 

Government/Politics, Women of Distinction 

Award from Soroptimist International for her 

accomplishments in Human Rights/Advancement of the Status of Women, the Ann Bancroft Dream Maker Award for Achievement 

and Leadership, and the DFL Woman of Distinction Award. 

Mr. Speaker, in honor of Gloria Griffin’s 

steadfast commitment to the advancement of 

women’s lives, I am pleased to submit this 

statement for the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. 

IN HONOR OF THE HUNGARIAN 

SCOUTS 

HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH OF OHIO

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Monday, September 10, 2012 

Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 

honor of the Hungarian Scouts. 

The first Hungarian Scout group to form in 

the United States was founded in Cleveland, 

Ohio in 1951. By the fall of that year, two 

troops, one East side and one West side, had 

formed and registered with the Boy Scouts of 

America. In 1952, the Hungarian Scouts expanded and formed a girls’ troop. By 1957, the 

girls’ troop had also split into two groups located in the same neighborhoods as the boys’ 

East and West side versions. 

In 1973, the Hungarian Scout Folk Ensemble was created in order to study Hungarian 

culture and teach it the Hungarian youth. The 

Ensemble aims to preserve dying folk arts of 

the Hungarians in the Carpathian basin and 

pass them on to the public and future generations. Their performances include lively song, 

dance, and music accompanied by true-to-culture costumes. 

Each year the Hungarian Scout Folk Ensemble performs at the Hungarian Festival 

held in the Greater Cleveland area during 

Labor Day weekend. This year marks the 57th 

annual festival. Celebrations begin on Sunday, 

September 2nd with a twelve o’clock Hungarian mass followed by the opening of the 

kitchens at one o’clock serving traditional Hungarian fare such as goulash, chicken 

papriakas and dumplings, and a variety of 

pastries. Throughout the day events include 

soccer matches, free animal programs, challenging children’s games, folk art presentations and authentic Hungarian music capped 

off by the performance of the Hungarian Scout 

Folk Ensemble. 

Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me 

in honoring the Hungarian Scouts. 

f 

EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA 

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 

HON. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO OF WEST VIRGINIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Monday, September 10, 2012 

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to 

congratulate the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation on obtaining their National 

Standards for U.S. Community FoundationsTM

accreditation from the Community Foundations 

National Standards Board. 

The Community Foundations National 

Standards Board was established as a supporting organization of the Council on Foundations, a nonprofit membership association of 

grant making foundations and corporations, to 

administer the National Standards. This board 

is responsible for upholding the quality, value, 

and integrity of the National Standards for 

U.S. Community FoundationsTM, the first and 

only accreditation program of its kind. 

In the United States, community foundations 

serve tens of thousands of donors, administer 

more than $40 billion in charitable funds, and 

address the core concerns of more than 700 

communities and regions. With such a presence—nationally and within local communities—comes responsibility. 

Achieving confirmation and reconfirming 

compliance with National Standards is a rigorous process, guaranteeing that every community foundation that receives the designation has adhered to excellent philanthropic 

practice. This program requires community 

foundations to document their policies for governance, donor services, investments, 

grantmaking, community leadership, and administration. 

The Eastern West Virginia Community 

Foundation of Martinsburg, West Virginia has 

obtained its National Standards accreditation 

by demonstrating a commitment to operational 

quality, integrity, accountability, and adherence 

to the highest standards for grantmaking. 

On behalf of the residents of Martinsburg, I 

congratulate the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation on receiving its National 

Standards accreditation and commend the 

foundation’s dedicated service to Martinsburg 

and communities in West Virginia. 

f 

CONGRATULATORY REMARKS FOR 

OBTAINING THE RANK OF EAGLE 

SCOUT—TRACY MURPHY 

HON. SANDY ADAMS OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Monday, September 10, 2012 

Mrs. ADAMS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to 

congratulate Tracy Murphy for achieving the 

rank of Eagle Scout. 

For his Eagle Scout project, Tracy provided 

benches for resting on a local hiking trail. 

Throughout the history of the Boy Scouts of 

America, the rank of Eagle Scout has only 

been attained through dedication to concepts 

such as honor, duty, country and charity. By 

applying these concepts to daily life, Tracy 

has proven his true and complete understanding of their meanings, and thereby deserves this honor. 

I offer my congratulations on a job well done 

and best wishes for the future. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO THE WOMEN PEACEMAKERS PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN DIEGO ON ITS 

10TH ANNIVERSARY 

HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Monday, September 10, 2012 

Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I 

wish to pay tribute today to the Women 

PeaceMakers Program at the University of 

San Diego, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. 

The award-winning Women PeaceMakers 

Program, which is based at the university’s 

Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice, 

IPJ, documents the stories and practices of 

international women leaders who are involved 

in human rights and peacemaking efforts in 

their home countries. It was founded on the 

idea that history is rarely recorded from women’s perspectives, especially women on the 

frontlines of efforts to end violence and secure 

peace. 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with REMARKS