The publication is reproduced in full below:
OBSERVING THE PASSING OF DR. LOUISE BERRY
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HON. JOE COURTNEY
of connecticut
in the house of representatives
Friday, July 29, 2022
Mr. COURTNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a mother to her community, Dr. Louise Berry of Danielson, Connecticut. Throughout her long life, Louise trail blazed a new standard of what it means to be a model citizen. Her impact on Eastern Connecticut is outsized and her legacy has been woven into the very fabric of our region.
Born in November 1927, to Frances and Jacob Spaulding, Louise was raised within a family with a centuries-long history and just as deep roots tied to Northeastern Connecticut. Also raised among six brothers, she of course from a young age was instilled with the strength of self-
advocacy. In 1945, Louise graduated from Killingly High School and attended school at Adelphi University, earning her Nursing degree in 1948. Louise continued her education at the University of Connecticut, earning a bachelor's degree in Zoology in 1952 and a Master's in Guidance and Counseling in 1961. Ever a hard worker with a penchant for learning, Louise returned to school in the late 1970's, and by 1980 she had earned her Juris Doctor from the UConn School of Law.
Returning to 1952, however, Louise then picked up work within her community, serving as a school nurse at Killingly Memorial School until 1955. After bringing the first two of five children into the world, she returned to school nursing at Brooklyn School in 1958, sparking a career which would forever reshape the trajectory of Brooklyn, Eastern Connecticut and our Nation as a whole. With her characteristic can-do attitude and determination, Louise set out on a path to become the most diversified and experienced staff in the Brooklyn school system, serving as a Guidance Counselor, Director of Instruction, and finally as Superintendent. Louise would serve as Superintendent for 36 years, the longest serving Superintendent in Connecticut history.
Though it is of course difficult to encapsulate the entirety of her tenure as superintendent, Louise used her position to pioneer programs and mold the field of education to her vision, for the better. Specific examples include her creating the first rural Head-Start program in the country and initiating one of the first preschool-for-all programs before it became the national norm. Such is why the Louise S. Berry Early Childhood Center at the Brooklyn School was dedicated in her name. Even the road leading into the schools of Brooklyn is named after her legacy, a reminder of just how important a community-based education was to Louise.
As if the impact of her leadership within Brooklyn schools was not impressive enough in its own right, Louise was of course also very active in her town's community up to the very end. Her long record of civic involvement existed as a dual track next to her career in public education, beginning with her election to the Town of Killingly Board of Education in 1966. Just a few short years later, her capacity for leadership earned her the position of chairwoman of the local board of education in the 1970s. She served on countless additional boards impacting the community in Northeastern Connecticut, including Day Kimball Hospital, Eastern Connecticut Development Council, Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, and the UConn Board of Trustees, to name a few.
Louise also played a crucial role in the establishment of Quinebaug Valley Community College, lobbying with her husband Richard to bring the college into existence in 1971--just more than 50 years ago today. Over the past half-century, Quinebaug has grown to exist as an epicenter of education in the Northeastern part of the state, having accredited thousands of students in higher education, regardless of age. With this well-developed record of advocacy on behalf of her community, Louise unknowing put herself on a path to serving the region in a higher official capacity, particularly after volunteering on the discovery committee to recruit a 29th State Senate District candidate for the 1972 election. Little did Louise know at that moment that the exact same committee would end up choosing her as their recruit, ultimately causing her to run, win, and serve as one of three women in the Connecticut General Assembly's 36-seat State Senate. Madam Speaker, having chaired and sat as a member on several Connecticut General Assembly Committees including the Public Health and Safety Committee and the Education Committee, State Senator Berry at that moment was once again operating as a trailblazer--a successful woman in leadership--breaking some of the glass in the ceiling so that others could follow in her footsteps to leave their community better than they found it.
Louise's excellence came from her being able to tackle multiple projects at once. Between all her many professional commitments, she made certain to stay dedicated to her family. A world traveler, Louise loved to vacation with her family in New Hampshire, Asia and everywhere in between. Though her legacy clearly would do fine on its own, we have her five surviving children including Donald, Pamela, Robin, Christopher and Robin to extend her memory and example of community service into future Spaulding-Berry generations.
Madam Speaker, Louise remains a towering figure in the history of Eastern Connecticut. It is for that very reason that, just like her children, we in Congress also have a responsibility to solidify the power of her life record. Though we are saddened by the void left by her passing, we know the region will continue to honor her as countless new leaders of both current and future generations continue to step into positions of action in her name. Those positions will exist in boundless form; from new state senators to new teachers, or even to those who base a life, career and family in Eastern Connecticut after gaining their foundations from the region--regardless, they will all contribute to their community in part because of Louise's life work. To these ends, I ask that my colleagues in the House join me in honoring Dr. Louise Berry, a steward to her community and model citizen, setting her name further into stone.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 127(1), Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 127(2)
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