[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 6 (Tuesday, February 1, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       TRIBUTE TO RALPH McCARTNEY

                                 ______


                          HON. CARRIE P. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 1, 1994

  Mrs. MEEK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to one of my 
constituents, Mr. Ralph McCartney.
  Ralph McCartney was born on March 11, 1934, the last of eight 
children, to Leon and Lillian McCartney of Miami, FL. Mr. McCartney's 
early life was influenced by the richness of his family and the 
community environment in which he resided. That community was Overtown.
  A major contributor to the deep sense of community to which he has so 
strongly been identified was derived from the community of Overtown. 
The beacon light of the community was Booker T. Washington Senior High 
School, subsequently victimized by desegregation. It was not only Ralph 
and the other McCartney siblings who were to attend this center of 
inspiration, but all the children of color who resided within the 
central portion of the city of Miami. It was from this Booker T. 
Washington experience that the spirit of community activism on behalf 
of the people of color, and the downtrodden was launched.
  Mr. McCartney's career took him to New York City where he became 
involved in the political and civil rights campaigns of those wanting 
to better their communities, joining the efforts of Dr. Martin Luther 
King, Jr. He returned to his native Miami in 1965, after realizing that 
his energies were needed in his home town--Miami. He later encouraged 
the director of the Dade County antipoverty program to keep the 
community centers open following the assassination of Dr. King, because 
he realized that residents would need assistance in processing their 
feelings.
  While Mr. McCartney may be best known for his fiery oratory and/or 
his eloquence in reciting great works of literature, his most 
outstanding contributions, derived by working behind the scenes, have 
gone unheralded. Of the many contributions that he has made to Greater 
Miami, there are three McCartney activities that have had and will 
continue to have positive impacts on people for years to come.
  They are:
  The Edison Park Elementary--I-95 Overpass: It was through Mr. 
McCartney's relentless effort that this overpass was constructed. Young 
children no longer have to face the death-defying temptation of taking 
a short-cut across I-95 to get to school.
  U.S. Department of Defense Race Relations Institute: Mr. McCartney's 
involvement became legendary to the thousands of military personnel 
that came through the Miami Inner City Minority Experience conducted by 
Robert H. Simms & Associates, Inc. from 1973-76. Because of the success 
of this program, those personnel who came through the Miami Experience 
have a significant appreciation and understanding of their role in 
making America and the military a better place for all.
  Rebuilding of the Booker T. Washington School: The tireless drive of 
Mr. McCartney with the superintendent of Dade County Public Schools, 
the late Dr. Johnny Jones, the school board, and the community led to 
the successful rebuilding of Booker T. Washington.
  There is so much more that one can say about the contributions of Mr. 
Ralph McCartney. He worked with the Urban League of Greater Miami, Inc. 
and the Dade County Community Relations Board. His early involvement 
with the Economic Opportunity Program, Inc. of Dade County; his tenure 
as the director of Neighbor Center of the South Miami Center; and his 
work with the Rev. Leon Sullivan's Opportunity Industrialization Center 
of Dade County brought the unique qualities of Ralph McCartney to 
thousands.
  When asked how he wants to be remembered, he replied, ``That I was a 
McCartney.''

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