Congress finds that Rachel Carson—
(1)
was born on May 27, 1907, on a farm in Springdale, Pennsylvania, graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biology from the Pennsylvania College for Women (later Chatham College), and was awarded a full scholarship that enabled her to obtain a master’s degree in marine zoology from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore;
(2)
was a world-renowned environmental scientist, writer, and educator;
(3)
worked as a writer, editor, and ultimately Editor-in-Chief for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s publications department;
(4)
published the groundbreaking book Silent Spring in September 1962, which was translated into more than a dozen foreign languages and inspired the environmental movement;
(5)
used the National Park Service’s Glover Archbold Park in the District of Columbia for her observations and study of nature and the environment;
(6)
accomplished much of her professional work at the United States Department of the Interior in the District of Columbia;
(7)
performed research on pesticides, the findings of which were sustained by a Science Advisory Committee appointed during President John F. Kennedy’s administration, and resulted in State legislatures enacting pesticide-regulating legislation;
(8)
was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters and received many other honors;
(9)
passed away on April 14, 1964, in Silver Spring, Maryland; and
(10)
leaves a rich legacy that will continue to benefit present and future generations well beyond the 50th anniversary of Silent Spring in September 2012.