[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 150 (Friday, October 31, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2162-E2163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN HONOR OF MR. ROY O. CARROLL, JR. ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM THE CHICAGO 
                            FIRE DEPARTMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JESSE L. JACKSON, JR.

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 31, 1997

  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
dedicated public servant, and my constituent, Mr. Roy O. Carroll, Jr., 
in his first year of retirement from the Chicago Fire Department after 
35 years of committed service to our great city. In 1962, when Mr. 
Carroll began his career with the department, 150 African-Americans 
served on a force of 5,400 in segregated firehouses, and in segregated 
neighborhoods. The overcrowded and inferior living conditions suffered 
by African-Americans at that time created a dangerous atmosphere which 
was rife with the potential for fires and emergencies. As a result, the 
black fire engines, numbered 16, 45, 19, and 48, were the busiest 
companies in the city, and perhaps in the world, averaging from 3,700 
to 4,500 runs per year.
  In 1980, Mr. Carroll joined my father, the Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, 
Sr., in a successful effort to settle a month-long firefighters' 
strike. In 1982, he was promoted to the position of lieutenant, and in 
1991, Mr. Carroll was again promoted to lead the force as captain. 
Additionally, during the period from 1991 to 1996, he served as 
assistant bureau commander of the West Side Fire Prevention Bureau. 
After this impressive tenure of committed public service, Mr. Carroll 
retired from the department on November 15, 1996.
  Mr. Carroll's commitment to his community, his Nation, and the world 
extended well beyond his career with the Chicago Fire Department. He 
served his country honorably in the Korean conflict, and continued his 
service to the Nation upon his return. Closer to home, as chairman of 
the 111th Street Business Association, member of the Morgan Park 
Community Roots Organization, founding member of

[[Page E2163]]

the Umoja Business Alliance, and senior vice commander of the Captain 
John Daniels VFW Post No. 111 in Chicago, and as griot of the Safari 
Marketplace empowerment group of manufacturers, designers, and 
distributors, Mr. Carroll has brought to task his leadership skills.
  Mr. Carroll, a loyal husband, father of three and grandfather of 
three, deserves our most humble commendation. Mr. Speaker, our city, 
our Nation, and, indeed, the world community owe him a debt of 
gratitude for his valuable contributions and public service.

                          ____________________