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“TRIBUTE TO JOANNE MATEER WEAVER” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E281-E282 on Feb. 13, 1997.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO JOANNE MATEER WEAVER
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HON. JON D. FOX
of pennsylvania
in the house of representatives
Thursday, February 13, 1997
Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding leader in my congressional district, Joanne Mateer Weaver. I make these remarks in conjunction with the retirement of Joanne from the Abington Township School District, after 40 years as a teacher, administrator, and principal.
Joanne Weaver is known throughout Montgomery County and across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for her dedication to her friends and family, her commitment to the improvement of her community and the way she cares for the children in her charge.
She was born on May 21, 1930, the first child of Kenneth Hall Mateer and Jean Weakley Mateer. Joanne's family was full of teachers and educators. Her grandmother on her mother's side was a teacher. Her uncle was a teacher, coach, and principal. And as a child, Joanne spent 1 full year in school with her mother as her teacher and her father as her principal.
Despite a childhood plagued by extremely poor vision, Joanne worked hard in school. As a result, she was consistently a top ranked student, while also active in varsity sports and school clubs.
Joanne's greatest influence throughout her life was her parents, and in particular, her father, the late Kenneth Hall Mateer. Born to a family of working poor steelworkers, Ken Mateer's ability to achieve in both sports and academics brought him statewide acclaim. At the high school in Coatesville, PA, he earned as many as five varsity sports letters each year, and captained the baseball, football, and basketball teams. In one basketball game, Mateer scored 54 points--a feat unheard of at that time. Mateer was also an outstanding scholar. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree from Shippensburg State Teachers College--Now Shippensburg University--and a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Ken Mateer went on to become a teacher and a high school coach. When Joanne was a child, Mateer's football teams won national recognition. But his heart was that of an educator. He rose to become a career principal, and later, a school superintendent. At the peak of his career, he planned and founded what is now the Great Valley School District in the western suburbs of Philadelphia.
Joanne's mother, the late Jean Weakley Mateer, was also a central figure in Joanne's life. Jean Mateer was a wife, mother, and a teacher when few women were able to balance a career and a family. Although a quiet counterpoint to the more outgoing Ken Mateer, Jean was a strong and supportive parent to Joanne. Joanne's only sibling was a younger sister, Sarah Jane Mateer, known to the family as Sally.
Joanne Weaver earned a Pennsylvania State senate scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania--an education which her family could not afford on its own. At Penn, Joanne studied hard and earned superior grades--all while working part time to defray her expenses. She also was active in her sorority and other extracurricular activities. At one point, Joanne was coeditor of the University of Pennsylvania yearbook, along with a young man who is now the senior U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, Arlen Specter.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in education, Joanne began her teaching career in Ridgewood, NJ, a suburb of New York City. In 1955, she married Robert E. Weaver. During their marriage, Joanne and Robert had three children: Karen Elizabeth, May 25, 1958; Mark Robert, January 9, 1961; and Laurie Ann, May 2, 1964.
In the late 1950's, Joanne and her family settled in the Roslyn section of Abington Township, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. She began teaching at the Ardsley Elementary School. By that time, she had earned a master's degree in reading from Temple University and was teaching mostly reading.
Joanne's leadership skills were quickly noticed and she gained administrative responsibilities early in her career. In the late 1960's, Joanne was promoted to curriculum specialist, this time at North Hills Elementary School. She served in this position until the mid-1970's, when she was elevated to a districtwide position, as coordinator of the district's Human Development Program--an ombudsman-
type position which was used to educate staff, teachers, and students about conflict resolution, interpersonal communications, and other related issues.
Around that time, Joanne suffered two personal tragedies. Her marriage to Robert ended in divorce and her sister Sally committed suicide. These two events truly tested Joanne's character. But like so many other times in her life, she summoned the inner strength to carry on. Her resilience was a positive example to her three young children--
as well as the two daughters Sally left behind. In nearly every way, Joanne became a surrogate mother to her two nieces and took it upon herself to watch out for them as they matured.
Following these difficulties in her personal life, Joanne faced significant challenges in her professional life, as coordinator of Abington School District's Human Development Program. This post--which Joanne helped create and was the first to hold--came into great importance in the 1970's. Abington High School experienced racial strife due to two unrelated deaths of Abington High School students. The district's high school campus was in an uproar and racial conflict was feared. As coordinator of the Human Development Program, Joanne led the district's response, including conducting inservice and assembly programs aimed at quelling the rumors and unrest. Her efforts were successful, and a crisis was averted. She was credited by many for helping to solve the problem.
It was shortly after this incident that Abington Township officials approached Joanne about starting a township commission to deal with potential race, religious, and ethnic strife in Abington. As a result, Joanne was appointed by the board of commissioners as the first--and to this date the only--chairman of the Abington Township Community Relations Commission, a position she still holds today.
One of the first crises Joanne dealt with in her new position was a racially motivated firebombing in the community. Acting as a mediator and working with law enforcement officials, Joanne helped calm the community while the offenders were brought to justice.
Since that incident, Joanne and her commission have intervened, investigators, and mediated in dozens of racial, religious, and ethnic incidents, Joanne has been recognized for her leadership and achievements in this area by local judges, community groups, Abington Township, and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
During her tenure as a administrator, Joanne found the time to teach graduate school under the auspices of Marywood College. During weekends and evenings, Joanne taught other educators the skills she honed throughout her career. Somehow, Joanne also found the time to enroll in further graduate education herself--this time to earn her elementary and secondary principal's certificate.
By 1980, Joanne had finally taken the same path as her father, she became an elementary school principal, when she was appointed to lead the Rydal Elementary School.
Located in a more upscale section of Abington, Rydal Elementary School presented Joanne with unique challenges. Parents demanded excellence in every aspect of the school and Joanne didn't disappoint. After 8 years as principal at Rydal Elementary School, Joanne sought a new challenge. At her own request, she was transferred to Willow Hill Elementary School, located in a working class section of Abington. Joanne knew that this assignment would present completely different challenges. Joanne found that Willow Hill students were every bit as able as those from Rydal, but needed different motivation. She worked hard and helped students at her new school score record high test scores, and she improved the overall learning environment.
Last year, after 8 years at Willow Hill and 40 years as an educator, Joanne Weaver retired. Her career spanned four decades and she personally educated three different generations--in many cases Joanne taught children who grew up, got married, and had children who were also educated by Joanne.
While concentrating on education, athletics, and citizenship as her father did, Joanne taught her own children to do the same. Despite her busy professional schedule, Joanne was a warm, loving, and involved parent. Divorced in 1971, she made her role as a single parent her top priority. And her dedication shows in the lives and successes of her three children.
Her eldest, Karen, was an outstanding athlete at Abington High School, playing lacrosse and field hockey. She was an all-American field hockey player and a member of the 1980 national squad. She went on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in physical education. Karen was also one of the first women in the United States to win an athletic scholarship.
In 1986, the college field hockey team Karen coached went undefeated and won the national championship. That same year, USA Today named her
``Coach of the Year.'' For the next 10 years, Karen as was head field hockey coach at the Ohio State University. She is currently an NCAA scholarship consultant, helping high school players and coaches learn more about the college athletic scholarship process.
Joanne's middle child--and only son--is Mark. At Abington High School Mark played lacrosse and soccer. He went on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in public administration from Kutztown University in Pennsylvania. For 4 years, Mark served as a communications director with the Republican Caucus of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. At night, he studied law at the Widener University School of Law, graduating and becoming a member of the bar in 1989. He received a White House appointment as Assistant Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Justice. After that, he became vice president and general counsel for a Washington, DC media consulting firm.
In 1995, Mark was appointed as the deputy attorney general of Ohio, a position he still holds today. In that job, he helps the attorney general manage a 1,200 person legal office which represents the State of Ohio in all legal matters. Mark and his wife Lori have two children--Joanne's only grandchildren--Jamieson Lindsay Weaver, January 27, 1995, and Mark Robert Weaver, Jr., June 18, 1996.
Joanne's youngest child is Laurie. Another athlete, Laurie played softball throughout her time at Abington High School. She continues to play softball in the Abington area, often leading her team into the championships. For several years, Laurie served as operations director for a successful parking company. In this role, she helped the company grow from a basement operation to one with 75 employees and a $500,000 annual budget. She now manages a doctor's office while pursuing a full-
time career as a real estate agent.
Joanne Weaver's life has been one dedicated to helping others, with little thought for herself. As a child, she spent summers living with and helping older relatives while many of her friends went to summer camp or the seashore. As a college student, she was a tireless student leader and sorority organizer. As a teacher, she spent long hours after school tutoring students who needed extra attention.
In her community, Joanne has been involved in far too many activities to chronicle. To name just a few: Antidrug programs--DARE and We Can Say No; adult education programs--Parent effectiveness training, teacher effectiveness training; African-American civic groups; police and community groups, and many others. Joanne has also been active in her church, Abington Presbyterian Church. For several years, she served as a ruling elder and she still assists with the serving of communion.
Joanne now enjoys the beach, traveling, her three cats, and spending time with her fiance, Rudy.
Mr. Speaker, on the occasion of Joanne Weaver's retirement, I ask the members of the U.S. House of Representatives to join me in congratulating and honoring her service. I yield back the balance of my time.
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