E2356 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks December 10, 2008 

A reformer, Ned was obsessed with the notion of coaxing more value out of government 

investment. At that point, city-county consolidation was all the rage. It had happened in 

other parts of the country—Indianapolis, Nashville, Davis—and Ned was part of the civic 

drumbeat that was going to bring city-county 

consolidation to Oregon. We were going to 

take the largest city and the largest county in 

Oregon and merge them to create all this 

extra efficiency. It was a brilliant plan supported by all the powers that be and the newspapers—and it lost two-to-one at the polls. But 

typical of Ned, he was convinced that something else was at work here, that we could do 

better. and he wasn’t going to give up. He was 

part of the effort coming out of the City Club 

and other hopeless do-good organizations that 

envisioned and ultimately led to the creation of 

Metro, the only directly elected regional government in the country—a one-of-a-kind idea 

that is so good that no one else in the United 

States has seen to replicate it in the last 30 

years. This was typical of Ned and his energy 

and his involvement. 

Ned was always in the vanguard of the 

community foundation movement around the 

country. I had vaguely heard about community 

foundations from a friend of mine in Cleveland, Barbara Rossin, who helped set up the 

Cleveland Foundation. But it was Ned who 

made it happen in Oregon; it wasn’t just his 

profession. it became part of the expression of 

who he was. It became larger than life. 

When I think about the changes that have 

taken place in our community in the last 40 

years. I recall that we didn’t have any organizing principles then; we didn’t have large 

companies. But we were able to establish a 

framework in the community that encouraged 

people to get things done. We organized 

around a community foundation, but it went far 

beyond that. Today, you see the evidence of 

these efforts from the caliber of people are 

much more connected and reaching out and 

making things happen in a more entrepreneurial way. Just as we’re the only city in the 

United States with a directly elected regional 

government, we are unique in the way we go 

out and solve problems. And much of this 

unique quality is due to people like Ned Look. 

There simply are not a lot of people like Ned 

in any city, nor have there ever been. 

The Harvard University sociologist Robert 

Putnam wrote ‘‘Bowling Alone’’ a few years 

ago, exploring changes in our society by asking why, if there were more people bowling, 

there were fewer bowling leagues. His book 

got a lot of attention, and appropriately so. But 

his second book. ‘‘Better Together,’’ which focused on the resurgence of citizen participation, didn’t get quite the attention it deserved. 

He has a whole chapter about Portland; he 

called it ‘‘The City that Meets.’’ Now, I know 

that all this ‘‘meeting’’ drives many of you 

crazy—especially those of you who try to do 

business here or get anything done in civic organizations—but we are inclusive, we reach 

out to one another, even as we work in different patterns. These are the qualities Ned 

Look expressed better than anybody I’ve ever 

met. 

For years. we’ve had a parade of people 

who come to Portland looking at what we do 

and how we do it: Portland State University, 

streetcars, land use, even bicycles. They see 

the development patterns that have strengthened our neighborhoods and restored vitality 

to our community. We can show them our 

plans and talk about our government structures; we can talk about how we have constructed light rail and street car—but the single 

ingredient that is hard to express, the one that 

is more essential to that success than anything else, is our people. Ned was always 

there, front and center at the City Club, ready 

to give me advice, whether I was speaking or 

not. His antenna was always out; he was always gravitating toward conversation, eager to 

be involved. Ned was the personification of 

why, in the words of Professor Putnam, we’re 

‘‘better together.’’ 

Thank you, Ned. 

f 

HONORING WILLIAM FREDRICK 

HENRY DUNKER 

HON. SAM GRAVES OF MISSOURI

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, December 10, 2008 

Mr. GRAVES. Madam Speaker, I proudly 

pause to recognize William Fredrick Henry 

Dunker of Parkville, Missouri. William is a very 

special young man who has exemplified the 

finest qualities of citizenship and leadership by 

taking an active part in the Boy Scouts of 

America, Troop 1495, and earning the most 

prestigious award of Eagle Scout. 

William has been very active with his troop, 

participating in many Scout activities. Over the 

many years William has been involved with 

Scouting, he has not only earned numerous 

merit badges, but also the respect of his family, peers, and community. 

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask you to join 

me in commending William Fredrick Henry 

Dunker for his accomplishments with the Boy 

Scouts of America and for his efforts put forth 

in achieving the highest distinction of Eagle 

Scout. 

f 

HONORING SISTER M. CLAUDIA 

BURKE 

HON. DALE E. KILDEE OF MICHIGAN

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, December 10, 2008 

Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I ask the 

House of Representatives to join me in honoring Sister M. Claudia Burke as she retires to 

the Franciscan Sisters of the Poor 

Motherhouse in Cincinnati. She has been a 

cornerstone of social services in my hometown of Flint, Michigan since 1960. 

Sister M. Claudia Burke entered the convent 

on January 6, 1944. She attended Our Lady of 

Cincinnati College, graduating in 1953, and 

worked at Catholic Charities of Cincinnati. She 

was transferred to Catholic Social Services in 

Steubenville, Ohio and continued there providing family and child welfare counseling. In 

1958 she was responsible for the foster care, 

and supervision of 10 Hungarian refugee teenage boys. 

In 1960 Sister Claudia was transferred to 

Flint, Michigan to work at Catholic Social Services. Since that time she has left Flint twice, 

once to obtain her Master’s in Social Work degree from St. Louis University and a 1 year 

assignment in Cincinnati. She returned to Flint 

and continued her service to the people of 

Genesee County. 

Through her work at Holy Angels Convent 

and Catholic Social Services, Sister Claudia 

recognized the need to help families facing difficult economic circumstances. Known for her 

tenacity, Sister Claudia provided the unique 

leadership to organize Catholic Outreach to 

respond to the need in the community. Countless individuals have directly benefited from 

her hard work and devotion to the poor. Supported through a variety of channels, Catholic 

Outreach assists about 12,000 people a year 

and the number is growing. Though her responsibilities as an administrator and fundraiser consumed most of her time in recent 

years, Sister Claudia preferred to spend her 

time working directly with clients. She has 

said, ‘‘You can’t look at the face of poverty 

and not feel for people.’’ In addition to founding Catholic Outreach, Sister Claudia was also 

instrumental in creating the North End Soup 

Kitchen and the Displaced Workers Center. 

Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring 

Sister M. Claudia Burke. The Flint area is losing one of its truly great humanitarians. Sister 

Claudia has spent her life acknowledging the 

needs of others and responding with selfless, 

caring love. Recognizing the divine in all humans she lives the teaching contained in Matthew 25:40, ‘‘Whatsoever you do to the least 

of my people, that you do unto me.’’ Through 

the years Sister Claudia has been an inspiring, thought provoking, tireless laborer in the 

vineyard of Our Lord Jesus Christ. She has 

put her love into action and set an example for 

the lives of those following in her footsteps. I 

know I am a better person for having known 

her and will miss her wisdom, and compassion. I pray she will find a much deserved relaxation and peace in this next phase of her 

life. 

f 

HONORING KENNI FRIEDMAN 

HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, December 10, 2008 

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today to congratulate Kenni Friedman upon 

being named the 2008 ‘‘Citizen of the Year’’ 

by the American Legion, Post 74. Mrs. 

Freidman will be honored at the sixty-first annual Awards and Veteran’s Day observance 

dinner on Tuesday, November 11, 2008. 

Kenni Friedman is a longtime resident of the 

northern San Joaquin Valley. After receiving 

her bachelor of science degree and a masters 

in business administration from the University 

of California, Los Angeles, she began working 

at Price Waterhouse. She later served as a 

staff accountant for the cities of Los Angeles 

and New York. During the early 1990s, Mrs. 

Friedman began her political career in 

Stanislaus County. She was elected to the 

Modesto City Council in 1991 and was reelected in 1993 and 1997. While serving on 

the city council she served on numerous council committees including: Financial Policy, 

Transportation Planning, Community Development and Housing, Human Services, Economic Development and Intergovernmental 

Relations and Public Safety. Mrs. Friedman 

also served on the San Joaquin Valley Unified 

Air Pollution Control District (1994–2000), the