Political Quotes

“Mr. President, on May 25, loving family members and countless friends will gather in Presque Isle, ME, to celebrate the remarkable life of Audrey Bishop Thibodeau, who passed away January 2, at the age of 97. I rise today in tribute to a caring citizen and dear friend. It has been said that we all have a birth date and a death date, with a dash in between. It's what we do with our dash that counts. Audrey Thibodeau's dash was long, and she made it count. She was a devoted wife, a wonderful mother, an educator, a farmer, and an entrepreneur. Wherever there was a need, she was a committed volunteer and a generous philanthropist. She was born Audrey Elaine Bishop on December 13, 1915, in Caribou, ME, my hometown. She attended Caribou public schools and, in 1937, graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in nutrition. It was while teaching high school home economics that she developed one of the great passions of her life--raising awareness and fostering education for students with reading disabilities. Her commitment to youth was also seen years later when she founded a Pony Club to help young people learn the skills and responsibilities of horsemanship. In 1939, she married Lawrence Thibodeau, a high school classmate. After a brief adventure with farming in New York State, they returned to Maine and settled in Fort Kent, on the Canadian border. It was there that Audrey immersed herself in French to better appreciate the culture of the region.…”