[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 199 (Thursday, December 14, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2361]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        EXPRESSING SORROW AT THE PASSING OF MRS. ELLA H. BECTON

                                 ______


                           HON. LOUIS STOKES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 13, 1995

  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, It is with great sadness that I rise to 
announce the passing of Mrs. Ella H. Becton on December 11, 1995. Mrs. 
Becton formerly served as executive director of the Phillis Wheatley 
Association. At the time of her death, she was an associate on the 
staff of the Murtis H. Taylor Multi Services Center. With her passing, 
the Cleveland community suffers the loss of a dedicated human being. I 
want to share with my colleagues and others throughout the Nation some 
information concerning a special individual who touched the lives of 
many.
  Ella Becton was the daughter of Ella H. Wilson and the late Kalep 
Wilson. She was reared in Birmingham, AL, and went on to earn a 
bachelor of arts degree in physchology from Wilberforce University. 
Ella earned a master's degree in psychology and rehabilitation 
counselling at Wayne State University. After completing her education, 
Ella Becton began her professional career at the Lapeer State Home and 
Training School for the Mentally Retarded in East Lansing, MI. She 
relocated to Cleveland, OH where she married Leroy Becton, and began 
working for Vocational Guidance Rehabilitation Services.
  Ella Becton's most significant career challenge came when she was 
selected as executive director of the Phillis Wheatley Association. The 
association is one of the oldest social service organizations in the 
area. Under Mrs. Becton's leadership, the Phillis Wheatley Association 
reached out to the elderly population, families, and the youth of the 
community with services and programs to assist them. During her tenure, 
the organization developed a summer camp, an elderly meals program, a 
day care program, a music school, and the Youth Computer Center created 
in conjunction with Case Western Reserve University. Ella Becton was a 
dedicated individual who sought to improve the lives of others.
  During her lifetime, Ella Becton also earned the respect and 
admiration of her colleagues and others throughout the community. She 
was the recipient of numerous awards and honors which recognized her 
commitment and dedication to service.
  Mr. Speaker, the passing of Ella Becton brings to a close a life of 
love and compassion. Those of us who were the beneficiaries of her 
unselfish devotion will miss our friend and colleague. She was a woman 
of grace and dignity, and she was very special to all who knew her. I 
take this opportunity to express my sympathy to Ella's mother, Ella H. 
Wilson, and her loving husband, Leroy. I also extend my sympathy to her 
sons, Leroy, Jr., and Aaron, and other members of the Becton family. 
God has called Ella Becton home to rest, but she will always be in our 
hearts.

                          ____________________