[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 489 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 489

      Honoring the life and achievements of Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 19, 2010

  Mr. Alexander (for himself, Mr. Burris, Mr. Corker, Mr. Cardin, Mr. 
Feingold, and Mr. Durbin) submitted the following resolution; which was 
                        considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
      Honoring the life and achievements of Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks.

Whereas Benjamin Hooks was born in Memphis, Tennessee on January 31, 1925;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks died April 15, 2010, at the age of 85 in Memphis, 
        Tennessee, and is survived by his wife, Frances Hooks, his daughter, 
        Patricia Gray, and 2 grandsons;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks was the fifth of 7 children born to Robert B. and Bessie 
        Hooks, and was the grandson of Julia Hooks, the second Black woman in 
        the United States to graduate from college;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks attended LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis and, in 1944, 
        graduated from Howard University;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks joined the United States Army during World War II and was 
        promoted to staff sergeant;
Whereas in 1948, Benjamin Hooks received his law degree from DePaul University 
        in Chicago, Illinois and returned to Memphis, Tennessee to help 
        breakdown segregation;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks set up his own law practice and was one of a few Blacks 
        practicing law in Memphis from 1949-1965;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks was appointed to a vacancy on the Shelby County criminal 
        court, by Governor Frank G. Clement in 1965, making him the first Black 
        criminal court judge in the history of Tennessee;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks was a leader in the civil rights movement and joined the 
        Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Reverend Martin Luther King 
        in 1956;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks became the first Black appointee to the Federal 
        Communications Commission in 1972, when he was appointed by President 
        Richard Nixon, and, in that capacity, worked towards minority employment 
        and involvement in broadcasting;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks was elected executive director of the National 
        Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) on November 6, 
        1976, and served in that role until 1992;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks was an ordained minister and delivered sermons for 52 
        years at the Greater Middle Baptist Church and as pastor at Greater New 
        Mountain Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks was honored in 1996 with the dedication of the Benjamin 
        L. Hooks Institute for Social Change at the University of Memphis, which 
        he helped to create;
Whereas Benjamin Hooks and Francis Hooks renewed their wedding vows on March 24, 
        2001, after almost 50 years of marriage;
Whereas in November 2007, Benjamin Hooks was awarded the Presidential Medal of 
        Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, by President 
        George W. Bush; and
Whereas the passing of Benjamin Hooks is a great loss: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the outstanding contributions of Dr. 
        Benjamin L. Hooks to the civil rights movement, the ministry, 
        his family, and the community of Memphis, Tennessee; and
            (2) pays tribute to Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks, his passion for 
        life, dedication to service, and commitment to equality.
                                 <all>