Recognizing Tania Barricklo

Floor Speech

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Mr. RYAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the photographer Tania Barricklo on her retirement from our local hometown newspaper, the newspaper I read growing up as a child, the Daily Freeman, where her truly breathtaking work brought the pages to life for 25 years.

Tania has a wondrous ability to distill the essence of the Hudson Valley into every frame. In a single image, she captures entire motions and emotions that transport viewers back to the original scene itself.

Through her work, she has immortalized moments big and small, from documenting high-profile events that will go down in our community's history books to preserving the game-winning shot for the local high school athletes to hold dear for the rest of their lives.

Tania is a staple in our community, an unwavering and reliable presence.

She and her photographs will be forever intertwined with Kingston and Ulster County's history, and I thank her personally and on behalf of our entire community for her invaluable contributions to the lives of Kingstonians' past, present, and future.

I wish her the absolute best in her retirement and hope to see her very soon on the streets of our great community. Thanking John Lipscomb

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Mr. RYAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to thank a true pillar of the Hudson Valley community, John Lipscomb, for his decades of fierce advocacy for our environment and cherished Hudson River, as he retires from his role as Riverkeeper's vice president of advocacy and chief patrol boat captain.

John has been sailing the Hudson River since his childhood, and his dedication to its care and rehabilitation runs deeper than the depths of the river itself.

Throughout his career, John has sailed infinite miles on that river, taken thousands of water samples to inform and advance cleanup efforts, and, through his work on documentaries, has introduced thousands of others near and far to what we know in the Hudson Valley about our river. It is of vital importance, and we have an obligation to its keeping and preservation for future generations.

I wish John the absolute best. He is more than deserving of a restful retirement, but I don't expect to see him sitting back anytime soon. I am heartened knowing that his passion will not fade, and the Hudson River will continue to see him going up and down its shores. Honoring Martha Strever

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Mr. RYAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor New York State's longest serving teacher, the inspiring Martha Strever, now in her 64th year teaching math to middle school students in the Hudson Valley.

Martha is the teacher every parent wants for their child. She is rooted solely in uplifting the lives of students and empowering them through limitless learning.

Born and raised in Hyde Park, she brought her zeal for teaching to the Red Hook Central School District in 1961 and hasn't slowed down for a minute since.

Her impact knows no bounds. She has molded thousands of students--in some cases, three generations of students from the same family--into high-achieving academics and exemplary Hudson Valley citizens, who have in turn passed the lessons from their beloved Ms. Strever on to countless others.

In fact, 30 years ago, she taught a young woman in her math class who is now the principal of that school and actually her boss.

Martha Strever is a true treasure of the Hudson Valley, and I thank her for her profound service to our community for 63 years past and for more to come. She says she has no plans to leave the classroom anytime soon.

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