[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 54 (Wednesday, April 30, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E797]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      A TRIBUTE TO DORRIE THURMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 30, 1997

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, today I take this opportunity to 
pay tribute to a great American who gave consistently of herself for 
the betterment of her community, her city, and her country.
  Dorrie Thurman was a community activist in Chicago's Uptown 
neighborhood where she worked for many years on behalf of the poor and 
disadvantaged members of our society. She was a member of several 
welfare rights organizations and eventually became president of The 
Voice of the People, an affordable housing development corporation.
  Dorrie was a strong proponent of the philosophy that ``you cannot 
lead where you don't go and you cannot teach what you don't know.'' 
Therefore, she lived in a building owned and operated by The Voice of 
the People.
  The Chicago Tribune wrote, ``in her heyday, little Dorrie Thurman was 
a community leader in Uptown; the kind of big-hearted activist who once 
sprouted in Chicago like wildflowers in a vacant lot.''
  Ms. Thurman leaves a great legacy of involvement, determination, and 
belief that people can make a difference. Her vibrancy, spirit, and 
willingness to give of herself made her a unique person who will always 
live as a part of the history of Uptown and as a part of the history of 
the advocacy for poor people throughout America.

                          ____________________