House Journal: Page 93: Friday, January 17, 2003
President Kramer presented Lieutenant Governor Sally J.
Pederson who gave the following remarks:
Governor Vilsack, Governor Ray, Lieutenant Governor Corning, Chief Justice
Lavorato, members of the Court, distinguished elected officials, family friends and
Iowans everywhere.
It is an honor to be here.
Four years ago, when I first had the privilege of taking the oath of office as
Lieutenant Governor, I thought I knew Iowa. After all, I was born here; went to school
here; lived her all of my life.
Boy, was I wrong.
During the past four years, I have had the privilege to work with Governor Vilsack
on issues ranging from workforce development to mental health to ending domestic
violence and child abuse. I have appreciated the governor's commitment to making me
a full partner in all the decisions of this administration, in word and deed.
This job of Lieutenant Governor also has given me an opportunity to learn about
Iowa and Iowans in ways I never could have imagined. One of the most surprising
experiences in this learning process was my weeklong Discover Iowa Tour in the spring
of 2001.
In an effort to promote more tourism by Iowans within Iowa, I visited the arts,
cultural, and historical attractions of 36 communities in every corner of our state.
I discovered a vibrant arts and cultural scene that I was only vaguely aware of,
despite all my years of living here. Our ethnic heritage is celebrated with the foods and
customs and arts of the Native American, English, German, Italian, Irish, Dutch,
Norwegian, Czech, French, Danish, African, Asian, Pacific Islander, Mexican, Bosnian
and Sudanese. All have been newcomers in their time. Each has added richness and
texture to our communities - and to our state.
On this wonderful tour of the world within Iowa, I relearned the power of the arts
to teach and inspire us in ways that nothing else can. And I rediscovered that, despite
all the differences in our backgrounds and traditions, there are common values that
unite us.
One of those Iowa values is our spirit of community; of neighbor helping neighbor;
of reaching out to those in need.
Four years ago, in my inaugural speech, I pledged to honor that spirit by
volunteering once a week, somewhere in Iowa.
And week after week, whether for an hour or an afternoon, this has been one of the
most rewarding, inspiring and encouraging experiences of my life. I have had the
opportunity to work side by side with hundreds of Iowans - young and old - in
communities large and small as we have tried to make Iowa a better place to work and
live.
© 2003 Cornell College and
League of Women Voters of Iowa
Comments about this site or page?
hjourn@legis.iowa.gov.
Please remember that the person listed above does not vote on bills. Direct all comments concerning legislation to State Legislators.
Last update: Wed Jul 2 15:40:00 CDT 2003
URL: /DOCS/GA/80GA/Session.1/HJournal/00000/00093.html
jhf