Congresswoman Lois Capps and students from Oceano Elementary School. (photo courtesy Capps website)
Jules Zimmer, emeritus dean of UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, was one of the speakers chosen to laud Congresswoman Lois Capps, who is retiring the seat in the U.S. House of Representatives that she has held since 1998, at a celebration held in her honor by the Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee on August 14. Capps earned a M.A. from the Gevirtz School in Early Childhood Education, writing the thesis “Looking Back at Teenage Parenthood: A Survey of Former Participants in a Local Intervention Program.” Zimmer was the chair of her thesis committee.
Although a health issue prevented Zimmer from delivering his remarks, they were read by Zimmer’s wife Carolyn Cogan, a former educator in the Gevirtz School’s Teacher Education Program. In the speech Zimmer drew parallels between themes from the Democratic National Convention and Lois Capps’ career as both a graduate student and as a public servant, namely: “never give up,” “smart power,” “safer America,” “together we’re stronger,” and “compassion with heart.” Zimmer’s statement concluded: “Lois, you have overcome losses and challenges that seemed insurmountable, and yet you stayed strong, committed and vibrant, and maintained the highest ethical standards. You refer to me as your professor, but in reality you are my teacher. You model how to be strong, compassionate, gracious, and hopeful.”
Jules Zimmer was a Professor in the Department of Education, where he worked from 1970 to 2004. He was dean of the school from 1993-2004.