Political Quotes

“I come to the floor of the Senate to do something I periodically like to do when a citizen of my State deserves recognition for the contributions they have made to my State and the citizens of my State. Today is such a day. Dr. Emily Lembeck is the superintendent of the Marietta City Public School System. Recently, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Education, and her palm print is embedded in the walk around Glover Park Square in Marietta, GA. I am close to Emily in more ways than one. When I chaired the State board of education in 1996, she was an elementary school principal at Dunleith Elementary in Marietta, GA. She had been at West Side, she moved on to Marietta Middle School, and later became superintendent of the Marietta Public Schools--8,900 students, 1,200 employees--a challenge but a wonderful community. Throughout her career, she has gifted more to children in our community than any person I know of. In particular, she has taught those who didn't know how to read to read. She has made reading a passion in our community. She has made children's ability to read and comprehend and understand and move forward in life a reality, in a place where at one time it was no reality at all. In fact, let me tell you, when I was chairman of the State board of education we were working hard to make Reading First a movement in this country. She came forward with this idea about adopting something called Marietta Reads.…”