Tribute To Hazel Wolf Hon. Adam Smith of Washington February 1, 2000 |
| Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a true
leader and pioneer who touched the hearts of the people of Washington state.
Hazel Wolf, who passed away on January 20, 2000, spent her 101 years as
a passionate environmentalist, fervent human rights activist, and a fighter
for the underdog. She is a shining example of a person with passion who
truly made a contribution to life in the Pacific Northwest in the 20th
Century.
Born in 1898 in British Columbia, Ms. Wolf led an extraordinary life. During the Depression, employed by the Works Project Administration, she set about unionizing workers. In 1979, she helped to organize the Indian Conservationist Conference. In 1990, Ms. Wolf met a Soviet delegation and held discussions which paved the way for the founding of the Leningrad Audubon Society. Like former President Jimmy Carter and Senator Dan Evans, she was sent as an observer to the 1990 Nicaraguan elections. Ms. Wolf has played a prominent role in environmental efforts in local national and international arenas. In addition to co-founding the Seattle Audubon Society, where she worked as secretary for 26 years, she set up more than 20 other local chapters, like the Black Hills Audubon Society. Ms. Wolf was also the president of the Federation of Outdoor Clubs and editor of its magazine, Outdoor West, member of the National Audubon Society, the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and the Earth Island Institute. Her endeavors to improve environmental safety in low income inner-city housing were through the Community Coalition for Environmental Justice, which she also co-founded. Ms. Wolf was a recipient of a number of awards. These include the Washington State Department of Game's Award for services in protection of wildlife (1978); the State of Washington Environmental Excellence Award (1978); State University of New York's Sol Feinstein Award for her work with Seattle Audubon's Trailside Series of books on the Northwest; the National Audubon Society's Conservationist of the Year Award (1978); the Association of Biologists and Ecologists of Nicaragua's Award for nature conservation (1988); the People's Daily World's Newsmaker Award; and the Washington State Legislature Award for environmental work. The Women in Communications group bestowed her with their top honor, the Matrix Award for Women of Achievement. Hazel Wolf made an indelible mark on our community, our environment and our heart. She will be missed and I hope the Washington state community will work hard to continue the efforts for the causes she fought so hard for throughout her life. |
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