HONORING CARROLL ESTES

On 2026-06-08, Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA-4) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING CARROLL ESTES" in the House.

HONORING CARROLL ESTES

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 96 (Monday, June 8, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 96 (Monday, June 8, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E541-E542] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING CARROLL ESTES _____ HON. MIKE THOMPSON of california in the house of representatives Monday, June 8, 2026 Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Carroll L. Estes, Professor Emerita of Sociology at the University of California, San Francisco, whose lifetime of scholarship, advocacy, and service has profoundly shaped aging policy and social welfare in the United States. [[Page E542]] Dr. Estes founded the Institute for Health & Aging at UCSF and served as Chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences in the School of Nursing. A pioneering scholar in the political economy of aging and critical gerontology, she has dedicated her career to advancing the health, dignity, and economic security of older Americans, particularly older women, through rigorous research and fearless public advocacy. The breadth of Dr. Estes' leadership in the field is extraordinary. She served as an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, President of the Gerontological Society of America, the American Society on Aging, and the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education. She chaired the Board of Directors of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, and she has counseled U.S. Commissioners of Social Security and Congressional committees on aging across several decades. Her counsel is grounded in both scholarly rigor and deep moral commitment to our community. Dr. Estes has never hesitated when asked to present on the importance of protecting Social Security and Medicare in Congressional Town Halls in both San Francisco and Sonoma Counties. Inspired by the late Maggie Kuhn and the Gray Panthers movement, Dr. Estes has always understood that scholarship must be put in service of justice. Her landmark 1979 work, The Aging Enterprise, illuminated how economic forces and the needs of older Americans intersect to shape the policies that are meant to serve them. Her foundational insights helped establish the political economy of aging as a serious field of inquiry. Her more than two dozen books and numerous journal articles have shaped national discourse on Social Security, Medicare, long-term care, and health equity, making her one of the rare scholars whose ideas have directly influenced the laws that millions of Americans depend upon. In recognition of these extraordinary contributions, Dr. Estes has received UCSF's highest honor, the University of California Medal, along with distinguished awards from major academic and public health associations. Now, she continues to lead by example, inspiring new generations of scholar-advocates to do the same. Dr. Estes has shared that her proudest accomplishment is raising an amazing daughter, Duskie Estes, an accomplished chef and devoted mother, and her son-in-law chef John Stewart. Together, Duskie and John have raised two extraordinary young women, Brydie and Kenzie Stewart. Mr. Speaker, California and the Nation are fortunate to have had Carroll Estes as a champion for older Americans. Her enduring legacy in both academia and public policy reflects the very best of what American scholarship and public service can achieve. Therefore, it is fitting and proper that we honor her here today. ____________________