[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 175 (Tuesday, November 7, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2122-E2123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         A SPECIAL TRIBUTE IN HONOR OF REV. WALLACE HARTSFIELD

                                 ______


                          HON. KAREN McCARTHY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 7, 1995

  Ms. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride and respect that I 
rise today to bring to your attention, and to the attention of the 
House, the outstanding work and commitment of Rev. Wallace Hartsfield 
for the last 29 years to parishioners of the Metropolitan Missionary 
Baptist Church in Kansas City.
  Reverend Hartsfield was born in Atlanta, GA, November 13, 1929. He 
was an only child, raised by his mother, Ruby Morrissatte. Reverend 
Hartsfield received a bachelor of 

[[Page E 2123]]
arts degree in 1954 from Clark College in Atlanta and a master of 
divinity degree from Gammon Theological Seminary in Atlanta, in 1957. 
His first pastorate was at a Baptist church in Pickens, SC.
  Reverend Hartsfield is married to Matilda Hopkins and this year on 
August 28 they celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary. Reverend and 
Mrs. Hartsfield are the proud parents of four wonderful children: 
Pamela Faith, Danise Hope, Ruby Love, and Wallace S. Hartsfield II.
  I have known Reverend Hartsfield over the years through his extensive 
involvement in the community. He has been a leader in many worthwhile 
causes and a wonderful role model for our city's young people.
  Reverend Hartsfield recently chaired the capital fund campaign to 
expand and update Kansas City's Swope Parkway Health Center, which 
provides invaluable assistance to many people who could not otherwise 
afford or have access to quality, state-of-the-art health care. 
Millions of dollars were raised and the new health center stands as a 
testament to the untiring efforts of committed and dedicated people 
like Reverend Hartsfield.
  His leadership was invaluable, also, in redeveloping a blighted part 
of Kansas City when he led the Baptist Ministers Union of Kansas City 
in their efforts to demolish the old St. Joseph's Hospital and replace 
it with a much-needed new shopping center, the Linwood Shopping Center. 
Residents of the city's central core had to travel some distances to 
buy groceries, drop off dry cleaning, and have a prescription filled, 
before the new development became a reality. Reverend Hartsfield 
successfully led the charge to come up with sufficient investment 
capital for the project, when resources for new development in that 
area of the city were scarce. He was also instrumental in the 
construction of a low-income 60-unit housing development, known as 
Metropolitan Homes, in that same geographical area.
  Reverend Hartsfield has received numerous awards, including the One 
Hundred Most Influential Award from the Kansas City Globe newspaper; 
the Greater Kansas City Image Award, presented by the Urban League; he 
was named ``One of the Top 50 Ministers in America'' by Upscale 
magazine of Atlanta, GA; he received an honorary doctor of divinity 
degree from both Western Baptist Bible College in Kansas City and also 
from the Virginia Seminary and College of Lyncher, VA; he received the 
Minister of the Year Award from the Baptist Ministers Union of Kansas 
City; a Public Service Award from the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime; the 
Role Model for Youth Award from Penn Valley Community College, in 
Kansas City; and a Community Service Award from Kansas City, MO, and 
then-mayor Richard Berkeley, among others.

  Reverend Hartsfield is also chairman of the Economic Development 
Commission of the National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.; second 
vice president of the National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.; 
president of the Greater Kansas City Chapter of Operation PUSH; and an 
adjunct professor of the Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas 
City, KS.
  Reverend Hartsfield is a member of the board of directors for the 
national organization of Operation PUSH, the Congress of National Black 
Churches in Washington, DC, and the Morehouse School of Religion in 
Atlanta, GA, among others.
  We are celebrating Reverend Hartsfield's 29th anniversary as pastor 
at the Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church in Kansas Ctiy, and 
recognizing all of his good work and the leadership he has provided in 
the community over that span of time. He has blessed the lives of so 
many. Reverend Hartsfield loves people and he loves helping people. He 
has made a difference in the city he calls home, Kansas City, and we're 
proud to have him as one of its outstanding citizens.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join with me 
and the congregation of the Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, the 
family of Reverend Hartsfield, and the citizens of Kansas City, MO, in 
congratulating Reverend Hartsfield for his 29 years of service to his 
church and his community, and in wishing him many more wonderful years 
as pastor of the Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church.

                          ____________________