Arlen Specter: “I seek to pay tribute to an outstanding educator. As the Senate takes up the appropriations bills--it soon will take up…”

“I seek to pay tribute to an outstanding educator. As the Senate takes up the appropriations bills--it soon will take up the bill on funding for education--it is appropriate to focus on the importance of education in our society. My brother, my two sisters, and I have been able to share in the American dream because of our educational opportunities. My father had no formal education. My mother only went to the eighth grade, when she had to leave work to help support her family where her father had died in his mid-40s of a heart attack. But because of their love for education and recognition of its importance, their children have benefited from great educational opportunities. Our health is our No. 1 capital asset. Without good health, none of us can do anything. And our No. 2 capital asset is education. Without education, there are severe limitations. I say this in the context of paying tribute to Ada Mae Groetzinger Haury, the Russell High School debate coach. She came to Russell in the fall of 1945, in her early 20s, having recently graduated from college herself. She brought a level of intensity to high school debating, which level of intensity was unparalleled in my educational experience. We had a class in debate at 9 o'clock in the morning. Then she would sit at 4 o'clock and have another round of debate, again at 5, again at 7, and again at 8 o'clock. And she would judge the debates. In retrospect, it seems surprising that somebody would have done that.…”