Extensions of Remarks
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19606 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS August 6, 198~ EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS ALBERTA HARDY PERRY, ter members to the board of trustees, a posi First Congressional District, the State, and the OUTSTANDING EDUCATOR tion she held for 12 years. Upon serving as Nation. vice chairperson for 7 years, Mrs. Perry was HON. JAMES J. FLORIO elected chairperson. At that time, Mrs. Perry was the only woman chairperson of either a 2- HISPANIC LITERACY: IN THE OF NEW JERSEY NATIONAL INTEREST IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES or 4-year public college board of trustees in the State of New Jersey. Tuesday, August 5, 1986 She has conducted workshops for the HON. ESTEBAN EDWARD TORRES Mr. FLORIO. Mr. Speaker, I would like to American Association of College Trustees OF CALIFORNIA pay tribute to a highly respected community (AACD in Washington, DC, in Atlanta, and IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES leader residing in the First Congressional Dis New Orleans. Additionally, Mrs. Perry served trict, Alberta Hardy Perry. in numerous capacities at the AACT national Tuesday, August 5, 1986 Alberta Hardy Perry is a native of Mickleton, convention at Miami, Portland, St. Louis, and Mr. TORRES. Mr. Speaker, I want to share Gloucester County, NJ. She began her educa Vancouver, Canada. an article with my colleagues on literacy prob tion at the historic Little Red School, Mickle Among the honors bestowed on her are: lems facing Hispanic Americans. This article ton, and graduated as valedictorian from Honorary member of the American Speech titled "Hispanic Literacy: In the National Inter Swedesboro High School. Two years of higher and Hearing Association, Washington, DC; est" was written by Raul Yzaguirre, president education was completed at Glassboro 1978-Distinguished Alumni Award, Glouces of the National Council of La Raza. Mr. Yza Normal School. She received a bachelor of ter State College; 1975-South Jersey guirre has been working to provide a positive science degree in elementary education later Woman of the Year, Gloucester County response to the very real problems of adult from Glassboro State College. Branch NAACP; 1977-Medallion Award for English illiteracy. I believe the information con In 1955, Mrs. Perry graduated with a master Community Service, Gloucester County Col tained in the article is important and I want to of education degree from Temple University lege; 1976-0utstanding Community Service make this material available to other Members with a major in speech pathology and second Award from the Women's Progressive Club of of Congress. ary education. The article follows: In pursuit of further learning, she studied at Swedesboro; 1976-Certificate of Honor from HISPANIC LITERACY: lN THE NATIONAL the University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers of the New Jersey Federation of Women's INTEREST New Brunswick, and Trenton State College. Clubs; 1976-Centennial Medallion Carter <By Raul Yzaguirre) From the U.S. Department of Education, she Woodson Association for Study of Afro-Ameri received grants to continue in the specialized can Life and History. On July 16, 1986, the Most Hispanic adults cannot read and un New Jersey Federation of Colored Women's derstand the newspaper in which this field of speech pathology at Adelphi Universi column is printed. National research studies ty, Long Island, NY and esophogeal speech at Clubs presented her with the Outstanding Citi zen Award for Education. She was also se suggest that 56% of Hispanic adults are the University School of Medicine, Miami, FL. functionally illiterate. They can't address a Alberta Perry was awarded the Certificate of lected as the outstanding woman of Glouces letter well enough to have it reach its desti Clinical Competency in Speech Pathology by ter County during National Women's History nation, can't decipher rental agreements or the American Speech and Hearing Associa Week by Glassboro State College. Prof. Rich credit card agreements, and can't read and tion, Washington, DC, which is the highest ard Ambacher, head of the communications understand ballot propositions or newspa achievable certificate. department of Glassboro State College, sub per editorials. English literacy levels are also low among our young people. Approxi During World War II, she went to Los Ange mitted her biographical sketch for National Women's Week, and was awarded first place. mately 80% of Hispanic high school stu les, CA, with her husband, John Perry. Be dents cannot read well enough to fully un cause of her background in physics, she was Mrs. Perry was one of the founders of derstand their textbooks. employed by the U.S. Signal Corps and was Links, Inc., a service group that has grown Some Hispanics counted as "illiterate" do sent to the University of California, Los Ange into a national organization helping blacks read and write Spanish but have not yet les, to complete training as an electrician, through scholarship programs, farm labor sup mastered English. However, data from San grade 11. port, and affirmative action efforts. She has Antonio suggest that 60% of those who For 45 years, Mrs. Perry has worked with held every office of Links, Inc., except treasur cannot read this editorial in English could er. As a tribute to her contributions, her fellow not read it in Spanish either. These statis children from kindergarten through 12th tics are an indication of an alarming prob grades. She taught in Woodbury, Deptford members have established a scholarship in lem in our community-functional illiteracy Township, and Swedesboro, where she was her name at Gloucester County College. English. an elementary teaching principal. Mrs. Perry Listed among her organization affiliations The days are long gone when all one retired from the West Deptford School System are: Membership in th NEA; New Jersey Re needed to "get ahead" or "get by" was the after serving 13 years there as a speech pa tired Teachers; Gloucester County Retired ability to speak English. In our increasingly thologist. Teachers; New Jersey Speech and Hearing technological society, Hispanics must be Her community service affiliations are exten Association; Gloucester County Historical So able to read and write English well to be ciety; the First Baptist Church of Deptford competitive in schools and the labor market, sive. She has served as a Girl Scout leader, and to be informed participants in our socie been associated with Campfire Girls and also Township; and the Woodbury Old City Resto ty. the YWCA in Camden, NJ. Mrs. Perry has ration Committee. Most Hispanics recognize this fact. In fact, served on the evaluation review committee of Mrs. Perry is a former member of the studies from Dade County, Florida, indicate the Visiting Nurse Home Care and Health AAUW of Gloucester County and the National that Hispanics, even more than Blacks and Service of Gloucester County. Sorority, Phi Delta Kappa, ETA Chapter, Whites, place high importance on the abili Mrs. Perry was appointed by the Gloucester Camden. ty to speak, read and write English correct County Board of Freeholders to the feasibility Her husband, John Perry, Sr., and son, ly. The problem in many communities is not a lack of desire to increase English literacy, study committee for Gloucester County Col John Perry, Jr., are owners of John's Auto it is lack of opportunity to do so. lege. After concluding the county needed a Transmission Service, Inc., located in Wood Improving and expanding literacy services community college, and the voters approved bury. She has four grandchildren. for Hispanic adults are critical for a variety the concept in a nonbinding referendum, the I salute Alberta Hardy Perry for her contribu of reasons: to improve employment opportu freeholders named Mrs. Perry one of the char- tion to the quality of life for the people of the nities; to break intergenerational cycles of e This .. bullet.. symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. August 6, 1986 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 19607 illiteracy; to meet the literacy needs of His DISASTER LOAN EFFICIENCY $100,000 may apply for reimbursement for ad panic dropouts; and to assist those who ACT BADLY NEEDED ministrative expenses. The guidelines should must meet literacy requirements to become U.S. citizens. be flexible enough to accommodate regional CUrrent efforts to reduce illiteracy among HON. JIM OUN business customs. Hispanics are grossly inadequate. Federal OF VIRGINIA The SBA Administrator may sell existing dis programs such as the Adult Education Act IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES aster loans. At least 90 days before such a and the Job Training Partnership Act sale, the SBA Administrator shall report to the Tuesday, August 5, 1986 <JTPA> are not targeted to serve the His House and Senate Small Business Commit panic and limited-English proficient com Mr. OLIN. Mr. Speaker, under the proposed tees providing evidence of how selling the munities. These programs underserve those Disaster Loan Efficiency Act, SBA authority to loans will be to the Government's economic who are most undereducated and thus most make disaster loans is terminated and other in need; providing English literacy services advantage. is not a priority activity. laws are changed to conform to the termina The maximum loan amounts for homeown Only one current federal program specifi tion. SBA oversight of lender and borrower eli ers and businesses will track present law. cally addresses the literacy of Hispanic gibility continues. Specifically, homeowr)ers and renters may adults. The Family English Literacy Pro Federally insured institutions including borrow up to $100,000 for real property and gram created by the 1984 Bilingual Educa banks, credit unions, and savings and loans $20,000 for personal property.