Gracious, warm and welcoming. Those are the first words that come to mind when thinking of Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY). Though she holds one of the most powerful leadership positions in politics today – as the 1st woman in U.S. history appointed Chair of the House Committee on Rules – she has a way of making others feel completely at ease. As at home in her downtown Rochester office, you might say, as they would feel sitting down for a glass of sweet tea with her on the veranda of a country home in one of the more southern United States.

She offers up coffee. She loosely clasps her hands together and lays them in plain view on the table in front of her. She leans forward with interest to listen as others speak. She welcomes eye contact and talks in soft tones, but conveys her thoughts with confidence. It's evident she means business but her spunk is undeniable. A dark blue, fitted suit adorns her petite frame. A string of playfully oversized pearls hangs gently around her neck.

She is a woman who openly but never boastfully speaks of a lineage which ties her to Daniel Boone. A woman whose near 30 year political career is documented in the plaques, pictures, posters and awards which occupy the walls and shelving of her Federal Building conference room. The walls of the adjoining rooms are adorned with pictures of her in the company of such well-known personalities as women's rights activist Gloria Steinem, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), '70s comedic icon Lily Tomin and the man who quite possibly tops every woman's ultimate heartthrob list – Richard Gere.

Louise is also a wife of 51 years (married to Kodak retiree Robert Slaughter), a mother of three daughters (Meg, Amy and Robin), the grandmother of their seven children and a longtime resident of the Rochester area – calling Fairport "home".

FOUNDATIONS
A native of Harlan County, Kentucky, Louise carries with her an accent which proves that her roots run deep and keep her grounded. Roots, indeed, combined with the traits she selected as those which best describe her personality: tenacious, inquisitive and dependable.

Judi Andreano, executive director and founder of the Rochester Association of Performing Arts (or RAPA), would likely construct a similar list and attribute it to the political success story that is Congresswoman Slaughter. She says her relationship with Louise took shape decades ago when the non-profit organization sought funding for its Junior Repertory company. Andreano turned to Louise for help and received it.
"The program allowed 30 children to study theatre," Judi explains, "which led to their participation in live performances. It's the only program of its kind in Upstate N.Y. I've always found Louise to be a great listener. She's interested in what we're doing. That's hard to find – especially in the political arena."

Judi says she considers Louise to be a friend because of the genuine interest she's shown in RAPA, the challenges it's faced and the successes it's had over the years.
"Finding support for the arts in this community is rare," she adds. "It's always a struggle. But you can tell Louise is sincerely interested in providing it. Rochester probably has more arts programs than many communities in this state, but it's very difficult to get support from government and individual sources."

"Louise always tries to fix the problem and gets back to us whether she can help or not. And she always comes over to visit-it's never a phone call. She's interested in asking how we've been doing and what programs we're working on. Not many people take the time Louise does to meet with their constituency. With every single issue we have she spends hours figuring out how she can help."

TAKING ROOT
Louise credits her father, upbringing and friends and mentors who saw things in her she hadn't with fueling her passion for offering that kind of help-for nudging her toward a career in politics. She also notes that her interest to serve took root before she had reached the age of five and was influenced by the actions of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

"Dad and I used to talk a lot. I can remember standing in the kitchen reciting Roosevelt's cabinet speech for him," she explains. "At the time we didn't have (countywide) electricity. School nurses had to give typhoid shots at the end of the year so kids would live through the summer. We had no roads. Every year floods would come and wash the crops away…all of the wonderful things Roosevelt did showed he cared about people like me who lived in the back roads."

Louise says she is proud that her daughters and grandchildren are also involved in shaping the course of our nation today, make time to stay informed and vote. She reminisces about taking her girls along on marches in support of environmental and other causes. While running for Congress, Louise says, she had their help and support. She has done as her father did – instill in them a sense of obligation to public service and activism which took root at an early age.

"Probably the largest influence on my life, altogether, would have been my father," Louise explains. "Dad worked in the mines; worked his way up out of there in about four or five years…and he was handsome as all get out. He looked a lot like Paul Newman. I would run down the street and meet him as he was coming home. He'd have coal dust all over him. They called us Big and Little Mac – for McIntosh. He never complained about a thing."

Louise's father died in 1987. Her mother died two years later, in 1989. The two had been married 60 years.

When asked if what she has learned in politics has shaped her role as a woman, wife and mother, Louise asserts firmly that just the opposite – in her case – rings true.

"I think being a mother and a wife has probably changed the way I do politics, is probably more like it," she explains. "As mothers we learn that every child has to be fed, has to be clothed and has to be educated – that we have to keep the environment clean for health and other reasons. We have to stretch a budget…we also have to keep the peace, which is a big one. I can't think of better attributes for being a politician than those."

Attributes which, surely, make her a worthy role model for the women of Rochester.

ROLE MODELING
Deborah Stendardi, vice president of government and community relations at RIT, has known Louise for 27 years and says the two met when the now congresswoman served as regional coordinator for then Secretary of State Mario Cuomo.

"I've known Louise throughout her years in Monroe County Legislature (1976 to 1979), as a New York State assemblywoman (1982 to 1986) and as a congresswoman," Deborah explains. "She certainly has had a remarkable career and through it all she has been a great friend and role model-both personally and professionally. She is a role model for the women in our community."

The broad range of causes Louise has shown support for and helps champion-health care, the arts, children's issues, women's issues and economic development-are what Deborah says help set her apart from the crowd and provides a glimpse of where her personal interests and professional expertise lie.

"She's someone who certainly is dedicated to her role and responsibilities as a member of Congress and who is dedicated to this area," Deborah explains. "Her sense of dedication and commitment clearly took root early on. There is no denying a person's roots; strong family (ties) are what I think drive Louise, shape her priorities and fuel her tenacity. She's tenacious – in a good way."

"That is the way I think of her. I think she comes from a very strong family background and went through some hard times. She's certainly learned from all of those life experiences. And she's also very bright," Deborah adds, making reference to the fact that Louise holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology, a Master of Science degree in Public Health and was issued an honorary Doctorate from the University of Kentucky in 2006. "Again, she's a role model for women in terms of having been educated in the sciences."

"She's also committed to education, children and the issues which affect them. She really cares about what's important to her and the community. She focuses on 'quality of life' issues and appreciates the different dimensions which contribute to bringing quality of life to the people she serves."

WHAT RINGS TRUE
Education, children and the issues which affect them, Louise says, are of great concern to her. She cites Rochester dropout rates as being among the highest in the state and characterizes resistance to KIPP or Knowledge Is Power Program initiatives for underserved students as "educational malpractice." She urges local mothers to force discussion of those and other issues in order to help bring about meaningful change.

"When 60 percent of the children go into their freshman class in high school and drop out before they graduate, that's a serious problem," she points out. "That means 60 percent of them go on to the street, as far as I know. They manage to succeed somehow. Or survive somehow. I think it's a serious crisis."

In November 2006, Louise was elected to her 11th term as U.S. Representative for the 28th Congressional District of New York State. She represents more than 650,000 residents spread across 100-plus miles of Lake Ontario shoreline. While she maintains offices in Washington (D.C.), Rochester, Buffalo and Niagara Falls her goal is to always remains true to her roots.

"I am who I am and haven't changed a bit," she asserts. "Which surprises a lot of people. But, the way I view it, my neighbors have given me an opportunity. They've said 'We're gonna trust you' and 'We'd like you to go down to Washington and do this job for us.' It's a great obligation but it is a joy. I can't imagine how fortunate I am to be able to do it. The fact that there are pieces of legislation in the county, state and federal government with my name on it is really quite remarkable to me."

Remarkable indeed!

Christine G. Adamo is a freelance writer who lives and works in Rochester, N.Y. Her e-mail address is christine@savemyresume.com.