SENATE RESOLUTION

                                      2000-8766

By Senators Snyder, Bauer, Benton, Brown, Costa, Deccio, Eide, Fairley, Finkbeiner, Franklin, Fraser, Gardner, Goings, Hale, Hargrove, Haugen, Heavey, Hochstatter, Honeyford, Horn, Jacobsen, Johnson, Kline, Kohl-Welles, Long, Loveland, McAuliffe, McCaslin, McDonald, Morton, Oke, Patterson, Prentice, Rasmussen, Roach, Rossi, Sellar, Sheahan, Sheldon, B., Sheldon, T., Shin, Spanel, Stevens, Swecker, Thibaudeau, West, Winsley, Wojahn, and Zarelli

       WHEREAS,  Lorraine Wojahn has served the Twenty-seventh District faithfully and well for thirty-two years by providing a strong voice in the Legislature for her constituents; and

       WHEREAS,  Lorraine Wojahn often spoke loudest for those least able to speak for themselves, especially the poor, the troubled and the disabled; and 

       WHEREAS, her vigorous advocacy in behalf of these groups before her colleagues in the Legislature was a hallmark of her long career in public service; and

       WHEREAS, Senator Wojahn was relentless in her support of issues affecting the lives of women; and

       WHEREAS, Senator Wojahn was instrumental in the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, as well as bills that allow women to obtain credit on their own and give displaced homemakers and their children a chance to start a new life; and

       WHEREAS,  the tragedy of domestic violence was a continuing and abiding concern of Senator Wojahn; and

       WHEREAS, Senator Wojahn championed efforts to curb domestic violence as a member of the Pierce County Commission Against Domestic Violence and was honored by the commission in 1999, with special recognition for her dedication and courage; and

       WHEREAS,  Lorraine Wojahn was a pioneer in many ways during her distinguished career in the Legislature, being, among other things, the first woman and non-attorney appointed to the Washington State Judicial Council;  and

       WHEREAS,  her attention to budget matters has proved beneficial to the City of Tacoma and residents of the Twenty-seventh District, making it a better place to live and work thanks to the state=s financial support of The Pantages Center for the Performing Arts, the Washington State History Museum and the University of Washington Branch Campus in Tacoma; and

       WHEREAS, Lorraine Wojahn was vigilant in her efforts to protect public health, as evidenced by her sponsorship of the bill that created the Department of Health and her unflagging determination to raise public awareness to the preventable health threats posed by osteoporosis and fetal alcohol syndrome, as well as her efforts to highlight the need for childhood immunizations and mental health parity; and

       WHEREAS, during her tenure as President Pro Tempore, Lorraine Wojahn became the first woman Senator to preside during sine die; and

       WHEREAS, her cat-like reflexes while presiding at the rostrum earned her the title of AFastest Gavel in the West@ among her colleagues; and

       WHEREAS, her longtime friend and former Senate colleague Ray Moore summed it up  best, when, in his Oral History Moore stated, AThere can never be too many Wojahns in any legislative body;@ and

       WHEREAS, it was Senator Moore who admiringly bestowed on Lorraine Wojahn the nickname for which she will best be remembered, AThe Norse Goddess of Terror@; 

       NOW,  THEREFORE,  BE IT RESOLVED, that the Senate of the state of Washington congratulate Lorraine Wojahn on a job well and faithfully done and wish her the best for the remainder of her term in the Senate and in her well deserved retirement; and

       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Secretary of the Senate immediately transmit copies of this resolution to Senator Lorraine Wojahn; her son, Mark Wojahn; her daughter-in-law, Sandra Wojahn; and her two grandsons, Rian and Grant Wojahn.

I, Tony M. Cook, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 2000-8766,

adopted by the Senate March 8, 2000.

TONY M. COOKBRAD OWEN

Secretary of the SenateLieutenant Governor