[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 5 (Tuesday, February 3, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E77]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      RECOGNIZING MS. THELMA SIAS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. THOMAS M. BARRETT

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 3, 1998

  Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to 
recognize Ms. Thelma Sias, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for her outstanding 
contributions to the community and her life long dedication to serving 
others.
  Ms. Sias is the 1998 recipient of the ``Drum Major Award'' presented 
at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast in Milwaukee. This 
highly distinguished award is presented every year to an individual who 
has dedicated his or her life to public service and promoting positive 
change within the African-American community.
  Throughout her years in Milwaukee, Ms. Sias has worked to affect 
positive change. As the Director for Community Programs at Wisconsin 
Gas Company, she has set out every day with one goal--to make a 
difference. She has served on countless boards and committees in 
Milwaukee where she has worked to revitalize neighborhoods, to provide 
food for the hungry, to advance women's issues, to improve education 
opportunities, and to make our neighborhoods safe for children. Ms. 
Sias is a passionate youth mentor and role model for Athletes for 
Youth, New Concepts Self Development Center, YMCA Black Achievers 
Program, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. elementary schools.
  Although Thelma is not one to seek praise, her work has not gone 
unnoticed. She has received a steady stream of accolades including the 
1993 Honored Woman Award presented by the Women's Fund, the 1993 Future 
Milwaukee Community Service Award, the 1991 Milwaukee Times/TV 6 Black 
Excellence Award, the 1990 YWCA Outstanding Woman of Achievement Award 
and the 1989 Black Achiever of the Year in Business and Industry Award.
  Now, in 1998, Thelma is receiving an award named after the Rev. 
Martin Luther King, Jr., a man she calls her ``role model.'' How 
appropriate it is that someone who modeled her own life after the life 
of a man who made sacrifice after sacrifice for the benefit of others 
has become a role model to those who witness her work.
  We, in Milwaukee, are lucky. Ms. Sias left Mississippi and adopted 
Milwaukee as her home and, in time, adopted each of us and shared with 
us her great love for her fellow man. Her contribution has been 
remarkable. Her recognition is deserved. I congratulate her on her 
accomplishment and I know that she will continue to devote her time and 
energy to making Milwaukee a better place.

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