She and her husband are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Spellman never regained consciousness and died in a Maryland nursing home on June 19, 1988, after nearly 8 years in a coma. The Baltimore–Washington Parkway, a scenic north–south highway in Maryland, is dedicated to Spellman, as is Gladys Noon Spellman Elementary School, located in Cheverly, Maryland. In 1985, Spellman was an inductee to the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame, part of its inaugural class. Hoyer has continued to be re-elected since then, and eventually became House Majority Leader. He was defeated for the Democratic nomination by Steny Hoyer, who won the special election on May 19 against the Republican nominee, Bowie mayor Audrey Scott. Thirty-two candidates from both parties entered the race, including her husband, Reuben. It is the only time that medical reasons have resulted in the House of Representatives declaring a seat vacant. As a result, Spellman's pay and administrative support was scheduled to be terminated upon the election of someone to her seat. When it became clear she was permanently incapacitated and unlikely to recover, the House passed an act declaring the 5th District seat vacant. In the first weeks of the 97th Congress, the House passed a resolution providing for Spellman's pay as if she had been seated, and for her Congressional office to be supported as if a member of Congress had died or resigned. Five days later, she was re-elected to Congress with 80% of the vote against a little-known Republican opponent on November 4, 1980, but it soon became clear that she would be comatose for the remaining years of her life. On October 31, 1980, Spellman was judging a Halloween costume contest at the Laurel Mall when she had an incapacitating heart attack. In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed one of the cards featured Spellman's name and picture. Spellman also resisted placing restrictions on hiring or promotion of federal employees and opposed Jimmy Carter's plan to reform the civil service system in 1978. She also voted for the 1975 proposal authorizing $7 billion to loan guarantees for the financially troubled New York City. In 1977, Spellman favored legislation to establish a bank to make loans to cooperatives owned by consumers as well as legislation to extend the federal revenue-sharing program. Almost 40 percent of the work force in her district was employed by the federal government – the highest percentage of any congressional district in the nation. While in Congress, she served on the Committee on Banking, Currency and Housing, the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, and the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service (including serving as chairperson of the Subcommittee on Compensation and Employee Benefits). Spellman easily won the Democratic primary nomination in September 1974 for Maryland's fifth congressional seat, and went on to defeat the Republican, John B. Johnson to the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations in 1967 and was awarded the highest honor that could be bestowed by county officials nationwide when she became the first woman elected president of the National Association of Counties in 1972. After the establishment of the County Council, Spellman served as councilwoman at large from 1971 to 1974. She served two years as chairman, effectively the head of the county's government. In 1962, running on a reform slate, she served as a member of the Prince George's County Board of Commissioners from 1962 to 1970. Spellman was active in the fight for a home rule charter form of government for Prince George's. Her activities led to leadership positions in the reform movement that seized control of the Prince George's County government during the 1960s, ousting the old guard Democratic organization that had managed affairs in Prince George's for decades. ( August 2020) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)ĭuring the 1950s and 1960s, Spellman was a teacher and president of the PTA for Happy Acres Elementary School (renamed the Gladys Noon Spellman Elementary School in 1991) and a civic association activist as a young mother and housewife in Cheverly. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources.
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