[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 16 (Thursday, January 26, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      TRIBUTE TO DR. REYNOLD BURCH

                                 ______


                          HON. DONALD M. PAYNE

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 26, 1995
  Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me 
in honoring the memory of Dr. Reynold Burch, a man of enormous 
generosity and kindness whose contributions to our community will be 
long remembered. Dr. Burch, known by friends and family as Buster, died 
Wednesday, January 18, 1995.
  Dr. Burch practiced medicine in Newark, N.J. in private practice from 
1956 to 1981 in gynecology and obstetrics, delivering thousands of 
babies to two generations of Newark residents. During an era when 
professional opportunities for African Americans were very limited, 
young people looked to this extraordinary role model with pride, 
admiration, and hope.
  I had the opportunity to know Dr. Burch personally in his capacity as 
a philanthropist. Along with his wife, Mary, Dr. Burch founded the 
Leaguers, Inc., a youth development program in Newark. To the young 
people in our neighborhood, Dr. and Mrs. Burch opened up both their 
hearts and their home, where the Leaguers regularly held their 
meetings. The program was directed by Mrs. Burch, a former teacher, who 
found that the young people in the neighborhood needed more direction 
and opportunity to expand their horizons and become upwardly mobile. 
Dr. and Mrs. Burch were truly ahead of their time and made a profound 
difference in our community.
  As the program progressed, the Burches planned weekly meetings, 
provided outings to the theater, museums, legislative sessions, and 
cultural events for the young people. The Leaguers gave the young 
people an opportunity to participate in programs we would never 
otherwise have had the chance to experience and enjoy. In 1949, we 
attended the swearing-in ceremony for Mayor Ralph A. Villani, mayor of 
the City of Newark at Newark City Hall. We visited New Jersey State 
Assemblyman Bowser in his office in the State capital, Trenton, in 
1950. In 1951 we visited Philadelphia for a weekend and met with youth 
from a similar organization in an attempt to expand our experiences.
  The Leaguers program gave me and many of my contemporaries an 
opportunity to grow and develop as teenagers. The program helped us 
make a positive contribution to our community and to society. As the 
program grew, the organization moved into a school and then finally 
built a structure at 750 Clinton Ave., Newark, NJ to house the group. 
Dr. and Mrs. Burch encouraged and assisted us in attaining higher 
education and molded us into young adults. My interest in improving my 
community was sparked by my involvement with the Burches.
  Mr. Speaker, I know that my colleagues will join me in extending 
condolences to Dr. Burch's wife, Mary, on the loss of her devoted 
husband, and to his many friends who will feel his absence deeply. He 
was a wonderful man who truly set an example of a life well lived.


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