E 1180 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks June 8, 1995

executions, torture, disappearances, unlawful arrests and detentions and denials of freedom of association, assembly and expression.’’

As Clinton and the new Congress consider

the Pentagon’s request for $600,000 to spend

on the training of Indonesian officers, they

ought to heed the counsel of the US Catholic

Conference. ‘‘As difficult as the situation in

East Timor has been over the years,’’ the

bishops’ office noted, ‘‘congressional protests

and representations by various US administrations have helped limit the severity of

human rights abuses, keeping a bad situation from becoming much worse.’’

This is no time to encourage Indonesian

persecution of the East Timorese.

SALUTE TO M.L. ‘‘LIN’’ KOESTER

fHON. ELTON GALLEGLY OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, June 7, 1995

Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to

salute a longtime friend and former colleague

who will be leaving the city of Simi Valley to

become Ventura County’s chief administrative

officer.

When I joined the Simi Valley City Council

in 1979, one of our first objectives was to find

an administrator who could lead the city into

the next decade while restoring the fiscal and

personal security city residents expected and

deserved.

Lin Koester was that administrator. In more

than 15 years on the job, he has established

a list of accomplishments and successes that

would be the envy of any manager in the private or public sector.

Through Lin’s tenure, Simi Valley has

earned the respect of other municipalities from

around the State for its strong record of fiscal

conservatism and financial stability. With an

annual budget of more than $88 million and

more than 500 employees, the city has weathered the economic downturn that has plagued

southern California and the entire Nation over

the past few years and has emerged in good

financial shape with a $14 million general fund

reserve.

But Lin’s achievements are hardly limited to

the area of financial management.

While he has served as city manager, Simi

Valley has established a statewide reputation

for its innovative efforts and programs in the

areas of recycling and hazardous waste management.

Under Lin’s leadership, the city has maintained its reputation as one of the top three

safest cities of its size in the entire country. It

has also financed and built a new city hall and

senior center and has helped establish a local

DMV office, a new county courthouse and a library. The city has also seen the construction

and opening of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, while construction continues on

a new cultural arts center—scheduled to open

later this year. A new, state-of-the-art, police

facility is expected to open within the next 3

years.

None of these things happened by accident.

They happened because of strong, thoughtful

leadership and an ability to get the most from

a well-chosen, well-organized professional

staff.

As Lin moves on to put his time-tested talents to work for the county, Mr. Speaker, I

would like to join many of his former colleagues and friends in wishing him well. I

know that Simi Valley is a much better place

today because the years Lin spent at the

helm. I am confident that, years from now, we

will be able to look back and say the same

thing about Ventura County.

HONORING ALISON GAVRELL

fHON. BILL BAKER OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, June 7, 1995

Mr. BAKER of California. Mr. Speaker, in

June, a very talented young woman from my

district in California will be traveling to Washington to receive a major literary award. Alison

Gavrell will receive the Silver Award at the

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards National

Exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art for

her short story, ‘‘Don’t Believe Everything You

Read.’’

This prestigious program, which honors talented young writers and artists from across

the Nation, is designed to encourage some of

America’s finest and most gifted students in

the pursuit of excellence. Alison plans to read

from her story at the Library of Congress Saturday, June 17, and will be part of the ceremony and recreation for all national award

winning students at the Corcoran the following

day.

Alison, a student at the Dorris-Eaton School

in Walnut Creek, deserves high praise for her

diligence, self-discipline, and creativity. My

congratulations also go to her parents, Elaine

and George Gavrell, and her teacher, Ms.

Deeni Schoenfeld for their contributions to

Alison’s signal achievement. It is a pleasure

for me to recognize Alison in the CONGRESSIONAL

TRIBUTE TO STEPHEN H.

RECORD.

fWATTERS

HON. CHAKA FATTAH OF PENNSYLVANIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, June 7, 1995

Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to

rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Stephen H.

Watters, who for 19 years, has been the director of the middle school at William Penn Charter.

Over the past 20 years, he has helped to

define and shape one of the finest middle

school programs in the country. Stephen H.

Watters has demonstrated his long-term leadership and commitment to the school, the development of its curriculum, and to his caring

approach to students, parents and peers.

Steve is leaving the Penn Charter family this

summer and will assume his new responsibilities as head of the Green Vale School, a K–

9 school in Glen Head, NY.

Steve’s departure will further impact Penn

Charter with the departure of his wife, Anne

Watters, who has served as director of lower

school admissions as she joins her husband in

New York.

I ask my colleagues to join me in applauding Mr. Watters for a job well done.

HONORING YVONNE MCCALL

HON. THOMAS M. DAVIS

OF VIRGINIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, June 7, 1995

Mr. DAVIS. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great

pleasure to rise today and pay tribute to an

outstanding educator from Fairfax County, VA,

who is retiring this month.

S. Yvonne McCall, is the principal of

Silverbrook Elementary in Fairfax Station, VA.

She was selected as the National Distinguished Principal of Virginia 1993.

I first met Mrs. McCall in 1981 when she

brought in private and charitable donations to

build a new playground at Glen Forest Elementary School, where she was principal.

Mrs. McCall encourages her students to

strive for academic excellence. Her motto is:

‘‘Reach for the moon. If you don’t make it,

then you’ll at least land among the stars.’’

McCall has designed a number of innovative

programs at Silverbrook. They include: PEP

[Parents Energizing Parents], a parent support

group; PLUS [Parents Lending Us Support], a

program designed to train volunteer parents;

RESPECT [Rules Expected at Silverbrook—

Plans Everyone Can Trust], a schoolwide discipline program designed to reward positive

behavior; Social Skills, a program that encourages good cafeteria behavior by rewarding

well-behaved students with a complimentary

lunch at a local restaurant; and, a mentor program with employees of the school’s business

partner, HFSI, through which the partners

communicate via electronic mail.

Mrs. McCall began her career in Fairfax

County in 1971 as a reading teacher at Fairview Elementary School. In 1980, she assumed the post of principal at Glen Forest Elementary School and later served as principal

at Dogwood Elementary School, where she remained until assuming the reigns at

Silverbrook Elementary in 1988.

Throughout her career, Mrs. McCall has

earned honors. She received the Outstanding

Principal Award from Mount Olive Baptist

Church in 1985. From 1986 to 1993, McCall

was nominated seven times for the Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leadership

Award. She received the Department of the

Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Medal in

1991. In 1991, McCall was also a finalist in

the National Distinguished Principal of Virginia

program. In 1993, she was awarded the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals’ School Bell Award for her leadership

abilities and her innovative and successful

school programs.

Mr. Speaker, I know that my colleagues join

me in honoring Yvonne McCall for all of her

hard work and dedication in molding the way

that our children view themselves and the

world. Mrs. McCall is a credit to her profession

and has been a vital assets to thousands of

families in northern Virginia who have been

touched by her professional leadership.