[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN HONOR OF RUTH R. CRONE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. THOMAS M. DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 25, 1998

  Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Ruth R. Crone's outstanding leadership on the occasion of her 
retirement from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments 
(COG). For thirty years, she has helped guide the Washington region 
through an era of tremendous growth and change.
  As the Executive Director, Ruth was responsible for the overall 
administration of COG as well as supervising the development and 
implementation of COG's policies and programs. She served as the 
Director of Human Resources and Public Safety from 1980 to 1988, and as 
the Director of the Department of Human Resources from 1972 to 1980.
  The Council of Governments, founded in 1957, is an independent, non-
profit association composed of the eighteen local governments in the 
Washington metropolitan area. The COG develops and implements programs 
in response to regional concerns such as growth, transportation, air 
and water quality, child care, crime, and economic development.
  Ruth also serves as the Executive Vice President of the Center for 
Public Administration and Service, board member of the D.C. Agenda 
Support Corporation, ex-officio board member of the Greater Washington 
Board of Trade, and editor for the Regionalist, the publication of the 
National Association of Regional Councils. She is a frequent speaker at 
area universities and association meetings, has appeared on local and 
national radio and television talk shows and news programs, and has 
testified before numerous Congressional committees.
  Prior to joining COG in 1969, Ruth worked as a planner with the 
Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission in Chicago and the Baltimore 
Department of Housing and Community Development, and as a health 
planner with the Public Health Federation of Cincinnati, Ohio.
  Ruth has been honored many times for her contributions to public 
service and for her successful career. Her awards include the National 
Public Service Award from the American Society for Public 
Administration and the National Academy for Public Administration, the 
1998 Alumni Achievement Award from Muhlenberg College, and the 
International City/County Management Association's Professional 
Development Award. Washingtonian magazine named her one of the region's 
most influential leaders in 1992, and one of the region's most powerful 
women in 1994 and 1997.
  Ruth received her undergraduate degree in sociology from Muhlenberg 
College and obtained her Master's Degree in Community Planning from the 
University of Cincinnati.
  Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues join me in congratulating Ruth on 
her outstanding career and many achievements. Her leadership at the 
Council of Governments will be missed, but her accomplishments never 
forgotten. The groundwork Ruth has laid will continue to sow the seeds 
of success for the metropolitan region.

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