John Shaw: “today I rise to honor Mrs. Mary Dexter Scanlon on the occasion of her 100th birthday. On November 21, 2005, she is…”

“today I rise to honor Mrs. Mary Dexter Scanlon on the occasion of her 100th birthday. On November 21, 2005, she is celebrating this milestone in this life with over 50 relatives and friends of the family who will come across the country to her home in Boca Raton, Florida. Mary Louise Dexter, daughter of Ralph and Carrie Dexter of English and Swedish descent, grew up in Galva, Illinois. She assisted her father in bringing the first telephone service to their small rural town. She continued to educate herself and left home to go to New York City to attend Columbia University and later went on to become a teacher. In her lifetime, Mary has been part of much of this Nation's history, living through the Industrial Revolution, the Roaring Twenties, World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, and her brother was born on the Fourth of July. Mary is the proud mother of six sons, six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Mary's spirit is high, and her will to live every moment in life is great as she makes new friends each and every day. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of three generations, I ask my colleagues in the House to join me in wishing Mary Dexter Scanlon a very happy 100th birthday. ____________________”