E2258 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks November 19, 2008 

Heather Fargo has always had a strong 

sense of public service. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Planning and Management from the University of 

California, Davis, and went on to complete the 

State and Local Government Executive Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Before becoming mayor, she had a distinguished career at 

the California Department of Parks and Recreation. 

For over twenty years, Mayor Fargo has 

been a strong advocate for the development 

of the City of Sacramento and its neighborhoods. Early in Mayor Fargo’s career in public 

service, she served as a board member of the 

Environmental Council of Sacramento, and 

was one of the founding members of the Sacramento Tree Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes urban forestry and shows 

how trees can make our communities more 

livable by reducing energy use, cleaning the 

air, and enhancing social and economic value. 

As mayor, she has transformed Sacramento 

into a ‘‘green’’ city with national recognition for 

being an environmentally sustainable city. 

First elected to the Sacramento City Council 

in 1989, Mayor Fargo played an active role in 

developing Sacramento’s Natomas area, and 

redeveloping our downtown into a place where 

people can live, work and play. Under her 

leadership, Sacramento has become a national model for smart growth and infill development. 

After being elected as mayor in 2000, Mayor 

Fargo proved her dedication to Sacramento’s 

future by creating the Sacramento Youth Commission and sponsoring youth mentoring, after 

school, and truancy prevention programs. She 

has given children the opportunity to take part 

in local policy development and express their 

views to community leaders. Mentors have 

been recruited to lead high school teens and 

help prepare them for successful lives after 

they graduate. 

Mayor Fargo implemented several city policies and programs to bring Sacramento’s 

neighborhoods together, and foster a greater 

sense of community among its residents. This 

included public participation on major planning 

projects, informational workshops on city initiatives and effective outreach on key issues including flood protection, emergency preparedness and housing crisis assistance. She also 

led the successful efforts to increase funding 

for levee improvements. 

Mayor Fargo has helped unify our region 

through her leadership on the Sacramento 

Area Council of Governments. As chair of 

SACOG, Mayor Fargo built relationships with 

neighboring cities on issues of importance to 

our region, especially transportation and air 

quality issues. She also was a leader with the 

U.S. Conference of Mayors and currently is 

president of the League of California Cities. 

Madam Speaker, as Mayor Heather Fargo, 

her family and friends gather on this occasion, 

I am honored to pay tribute to one of Sacramento’s most distinguished citizens and 

community leaders. Her successes have been 

many, and it is an honor for me to recognize 

her for her more than two decades of contributions to the people of Sacramento. I ask all my 

colleagues to join me in wishing Mayor Heather Fargo continued success in her future. 

TRIBUTE TO THE HOME HEALTH 

AIDES WHO SERVE IN THE 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY 

HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR. OF NEW JERSEY

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I rise today 

to honor the dedicated and admirable work of 

the home health aides who serve my state of 

New Jersey and to commemorate Home 

Health Aide Recognition Day of 2008. 

Home health aides provide a variety of invaluable services, including personalized care, 

home support services, physical exercise programs, and transportation assistance. The 

home health aides provide these services in 

the comfort of a patient’s own home, thereby 

preserving the dignity and independence of an 

individual. In addition, providing this type of 

specialized care allows patients to remain at 

home longer, which can help prevent costly 

hospitalizations or institutionalizations that increase the financial burden on the patients, 

their families, and our health care system. 

Over 40,000 certified aides make home 

health care available to every community in 

New Jersey, every hour of the day, and every 

day of the year. I am proud to acknowledge 

their essential and irreplaceable role in the 

health care system of New Jersey. 

I would also like to recognize the organizations who sponsored this day and the meaningful contributions they make to our state’s 

health care system: the Home Care Association of New Jersey, the New Jersey Hospital 

Association, the New Jersey Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, the Home Care 

Council of New Jersey, the Health Care Association of New Jersey, and New Jersey Association for Homes and Services for the Aging. 

Each day, compassionate home health 

aides in every region of my state deliver excellence in patient care. The services they provide enable New Jersey residents of all ages 

to remain in, or return to, their home and 

neighborhoods despite severe illness or disability. The Home Health Aid Recognition Day 

honors their extraordinary work, and their 

unique ability to enhance the quality of life for 

thousands of New Jerseyans. 

Madam Speaker, I am honored today to recognize these wonderful health professionals 

and the vital role they play in our communities. 

f 

RECOGNIZING MAJOR GENERAL 

WALTER WOJDAKOWSKI FOR 

SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY AND 

THE UNITED STATES ARMY 

HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR. OF GEORGIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I 

rise today to recognize a dear friend and one 

of our brave patriots. For over 30 years, Major 

General Walter Wojdakowski who is currently 

the commanding general at Fort Benning in 

Columbus, Georgia, has served our nation 

with bravery, dedication and respect. He has 

a lifetime of selfless service that included command, battlefield and diplomatic experience. 

Major General Walter Wojdakowski ends his 

brilliant career at Ft. Benning where he first 

trained as second lieutenant to become an Infantry platoon leader. 

Schooled in military arts at the United 

States Military Academy West Point, he would 

travel the globe with his wife Candy and their 

children Steven and Ami. Major General 

Wojdakowski would serve in leadership and 

staff positions in Germany and Kuwait with 

distinction as well as duty stations in the 

United States. 

His impact is measured by the knowledge 

lie gained through his many challenging and 

difficult assignments. He used his experience 

to train this generation of war fighters for the 

most complex and difficult conflict in our nation’s history, the Global War on Terrorism. 

The men and women he leads at Ft. Benning 

can proudly proclaim that they have trained 

the best soldiers in the world. 

Major General Wojdakowski has demonstrated loyalty, faith and allegiance to our 

nation, to our military forces and to the citizens of our great country. He understands that 

meeting one’s duty is to fulfill your obligations 

and accept responsibility for one’s actions and 

the actions of one’s subordinates. 

He earned respect leading by example and 

showing respect by faithfully upholding and 

practicing the Army values. Major General 

Wojdakowski is recognized for his integrity 

and strict focus on exceeding the Army’s highest standards. He has always understood the 

more you sweat in training, the less you bleed 

in war. 

I am pleased to honor this warrior-patriot on 

his retirement from the United States Army. 

Major General Wojdakowski exemplifies personal courage and honor. He is one of the 

brave few who chose a life of servitude to his 

nation, and because of his service our nation 

is safer and stronger today. I want to commend Major General Wojdakowski, his wife 

Candy and his entire family for his reaching 

this important milestone. I wish him all the 

best in the years ahead. 

f 

CONGRATULATING THE EVANSVILLE MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL 

BOYS AND GIRLS SOCCER TEAMS 

FOR WINNING THE 2008 INDIANA 

SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS 

HON. BRAD ELLSWORTH OF INDIANA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Mr. ELLSWORTH. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today to congratulate the Evansville Memorial 

High School boys and girls soccer teams on 

their recent historic achievement. On Saturday, November 1, 2008 the teams became the 

first to win both the boys and girls Indiana 

soccer championships in the same year. 

With their impressive 23–0–2 record, the 

boys’ team—led by Coach Bill Vieth, Jr.—defended their state title by defeating the 

Zionsville Eagles 3–2, while Angie Lensing 

coached the girls’ team to its second state 

championship, defeating Fort Wayne Snider 

2–0, ending their season with a 22–2 record. 

The extraordinary dedication and teamwork 

shown by these young athletes is something 

they can be proud of long after they have left 

Memorial High School. The teams and coaching staff have demonstrated outstanding talent 

and an unwavering commitment to achieving 

their goals. They are an inspiration to me and 

everyone in the Evansville, Indiana community 

who have followed them throughout the years. 

Go Tigers! 


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