[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 150 (Friday, October 31, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2159-E2160]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO LUCILLE WILLIAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSE E. SERRANO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 31, 1997

  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ms. Lucille 
Williams for her tireless service to those who are less fortunate in 
our community. She is a founding member of the Mid Bronx Desperadoes, 
which celebrated its 22 years of service to our Bronx community last 
week.
  Born in Learned, MS in 1922, Ms. Williams is the oldest of 14 
children. She attended Cambellville Elementary School and Yazoo City 
High School before starting a family and moving to Detroit in the mid-
forties. After she moved to Harlem in 1952, she worked for the 
Frederick Douglas Democratic Club. In 1962, she moved to the Bronx and 
became vice president of the Parents Teachers' Association [PTA] at the 
CS 61 then vice president and president of Herman Ridder's PTA.
  In 1974, under her leadership, a group of volunteers who understood 
the need to revitalize the Crotona Park East section of Bronx Community 
District 3 that was devastated by arson, disinvestment, abandonment, 
and population loss, founded the Mid Bronx Desperadoes [MBD].
  Throughout its 22 years of service, MBD has been a model of 
excellence in providing our community with exemplary services through 
housing development and property management, economic development, and 
delivery of human services.
  Through her years of service, Ms. Williams was involved in several 
other agencies. She was a founding member of Seabury Better Block 
Association, board member of Seabury Day Care, and active in other 
projects before she returned to school for her college degree. Now a 
senior citizen, she is a member of the Comprehensive Community 
Revitalization Program [CCRP] and MBD's Concerned Citizens Group.

[[Page E2160]]

  Ms. Williams is the mother of 5 children and has 12 grandchildren and 
9 great-grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Ms. 
Lucille Williams for her outstanding achievements and enduring 
commitment to our Bronx community.

                          ____________________