WHEREAS, Senator Margarita Prentice is a remarkable, wonderful, vibrant 80 year old today, February 22, 2011; and
     WHEREAS, Margarita López was born in San Bernardino, California, the youngest of five children whose father was born in Mexico and her mother in El Paso, Texas; and
     WHEREAS, In 1942, her family moved to the Los Angeles area to work at war time defense jobs providing Margarita the opportunity to attend the famous Hollywood High, an advanced public high school with many movie industry classmates and spent her after school hours at Schwabs Drug Store sitting at the soda counter along with Lana Turner hoping to be "discovered"; and
     WHEREAS, She received her registered nurse degree in 1954 and moved to Seattle to begin more than 45 years of health care service, working in every capacity from maternity to long-term care, and serving as director of nursing at Renton Hospital, VA Hospital, Mt. St. Vincent Care Center, and most notoriously a graveyard ER nurse at Valley Medical Center, where the new state of the art trauma center bears her name and is commonly referred to by emergency workers as 'Margaritaville'; and
     WHEREAS, In 1957, she met Bill Prentice, who had volunteered to transfer to Washington State from the Wichita, Kansas Boeing plant so a father of three wouldn't have to uproot his young family; and
     WHEREAS, Bill and "Marge" were married in 1958, settling on her current home site in Skyway where they raised four children: Carl, Kathy, Christy, and Bill III; and
      WHEREAS, The young nurse and mother started volunteering on Democratic campaigns beginning with Governors Al Rosellini and Mike Lowry; and
     WHEREAS, Because of inadequate accommodations in public schools for kids with special needs, including her autistic child, she determined to be part of the solution by joining the local PTA; and
     WHEREAS, In April 1988, Margarita was appointed to the 11th District House Position 2 and went on to win the next two elections becoming the first Latina elected to the Legislature in Washington state; and
     WHEREAS, In 1992, Senator Prentice won her first bid for the Washington State Senate and has since served as chair of numerous major committees including Financial Institutions, Housing, Insurance, Labor, Commerce, and was the longest serving chair of the Ways and Means Committee; as well as serving as an ex-officio member of the Gambling Commission since 1994; and
     WHEREAS, Senator Prentice has sponsored landmark legislation for workers' rights, child labor, minimum wage, identity theft, traffic congestion, credit unions, midwives, massage therapy, universal healthcare, veterans benefits, farm worker housing, domestic partners, tribal and mini casinos, social card rooms, charitable organizations, transportation permit streamlining, and of exceptional importance to her personally, a partnership with the University of Washington Autism Center to produce a DVD and online training and support guide for families and teachers that is inexpensive, easily distributed, and accessed even for the most rural areas; and
     WHEREAS, Senator Prentice is recognized for her effective leadership, warm heart, and strong backbone, vigorous bipartisanship, exceptional work ethic, and her consistent ability to bring people together, using her unique "nurse voice" to take charge and calm difficult situations;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize and honor Margarita Prentice for her outstanding service and numerous lasting contributions she has made to the Legislature and the people of this state; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Margarita Prentice and her family.