Schiff Names 2 Locals Women of The Year

At a luncheon Friday in Pasadena, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) honored 11 outstanding women from local communities in the 29th Congressional District, including both Kay Mouradian and Gretchen Robinette from South Pasadena.

Congrats, ladies! 

This recognition is made each year during Women’s History Month. Here are the honorees this year:

• Joanna Vargas (Alhambra)
• Carolyn Ingram Seitz (Altadena)
• Ellen Snortland (Altadena)
• Nancy E. Guillen (Burbank)
• Debra Suh (Glendale)
• Diane Gin (Monterey Park)
• Denise Houlemard Jones (Pasadena),
• Eleanor K. Andrews (San Gabriel)
• Kay Mouradian (South Pasadena)
• Gretchen Robinette (South Pasadena)
• Eva Arrighi (Temple City)

Schiff entered a special tribute to each woman into the Congressional Record.

See the tribute to our two special women below: 

A Tribute To Dr. Kay Mouridian

I rise today in honor of Women’s History Month. Each year during the month of March, we pay special tribute to the accomplishments made by our nation’s most distinguished women.

I stand today to pay tribute to Kay Mouradian, EdD, of South Pasadena, California, who has provided the Los Angeles Community Colleges with strong leadership and dedication for many years.

Attaining a B.S. from Boston University, an M.S. from University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles, and an Ed.D. from Nova Southeastern University, Dr. Mouradian served the Los Angeles Community Colleges as Professor of Health and Physical Education, and advocated in the California Teachers Association for the importance of physical education in California Community Colleges. In addition to her love of education and advocacy for health, Dr. Mouradian is also a very accomplished author.

Dr. Mouradian researched yoga in India for several months for her dissertation. She has published articles about yoga for magazines, with two much admired articles titled: Increasing Body Awareness through Yoga’s Relaxation Technique and Developing a Competency-based Syllabus in Yoga for the Community College Curriculum. Kay’s efforts did not stop there, as she also published a guide for yoga instructors who taught at the community colleges. In addition, Dr. Mouradian is planning to write books tailored to help people who want to and are interested in retaining a quality body, primarily during their elder years.

After several health crises, Kay’s mother asked her to write about her life. This opened a new chapter for Kay. Kay extensively researched the Armenian Genocide of 1915 by reading numerous books and traveling to Turkey. There, she visited the town where 25,000 Armenians, including her mother and her family, were ordered to leave their homes at the time of the Armenian Genocide. She journeyed through the deportation path, where over 2,000,000 Turkish Armenians had to march for countless miles through the desert. Her findings and experience led her to write A GIFT IN THE SUNLIGHT, An Armenian Story.

A Tribute To Gretchen Robinette

I rise today in honor of Women’s History Month. Each year during the month of March, we pay special tribute to the accomplishments made by our nation’s most distinguished women.

Today, I pay tribute to Gretchen Robinette, a tireless volunteer, advocate, and remarkable woman of California’s 29th Congressional District. Born and raised in South Pasadena, California, Gretchen graduated from South Pasadena High School, attained a B.A. from theUniversity of California, Berkeley, and a Master’s degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Gretchen served in the Peace Corps as an English language teacher in Malaysian Borneo for two years, along with her husband, Vic Robinette. Ms. Robinette was a teacher and librarian throughout most of her professional career for South Pasadena High School, Rio Hondo College in Whittier, and San Luis Obispo High School. Her commitment to education is also reflected through her willingness to be involved in school issues.

She assisted in bringing the South Pasadena High School Library online, contributed her time to help designthe school’s library when it was constructed, and served in the Academic Senate at Rio Hondo College. Upon her retirement from teaching a decade ago, Gretchen joined her husband’s CPA firm, where she holds the position of Office Manager.

Ms. Robinette has also served the community beyond the realm of education; a fact that she attributes to her years of service in the Peace Corps. She serves on the Board of Directors for the South Pasadena Preservation Foundation, chairs the South Pasadena Chamber ofCommerce Legislative Affairs Committee, in addition to serving as a Chamber of Commerce Ambassador.

A co-founder and former president, she currently serves as a Board Member for Women Involved in South Pasadena Political Action (WISPPA), an organization that works to improve integrity, accountability and transparency in the city government of South Pasadena. Past volunteer activities include serving on the South Pasadena Public Library’s Board of Trustees and the Board of South Pasadena Beautiful.

I ask all Members to join me in honoring an outstanding woman of the 29th Congressional District, Gretchen Robinette, for her extraordinary service to the community.

Patch Asks: Do you know Kay and Gretchen? Would you like to wish them a congratulatory message?