[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 49 (Tuesday, April 28, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E684]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  RECOGNIZING COURTLAND SEYMOUR WILSON

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 28, 1998

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Courtland Seymour 
Wilson, Executive Director of the Hill Development Corporation on the 
occasion of his 80th birthday. Over the course of his life, Mr. Wilson 
has built a wonderful legacy of community and political activism that 
has improved his city and the world in which we live.
  Born and raised in New Haven, Mr. Wilson attended school and worked 
there until enlisting in the United States Army. During World War II he 
saw active duty in both Italy and North Africa, returning to New Haven 
in 1945 having achieved the rank of Master Sergeant.
  As dedicated an activist as he is a worker, Mr. Wilson's career began 
as a machinist in several shops in New Haven where he strived to 
organize his fellow workers. He served on the Executive Committee and 
as Treasurer of the International Association of Machinists local of 
the AFL-CIO.
  Courtland Wilson did not however, contain his activism to the 
workplace. His efforts for equality and justice led to his Presidency 
of the New Haven chapter of the NAACP, and the founding of both the 
Hill Parent's Association--precursor to the Hill Development 
Corporation--and the New Haven Black Coalition.
  This dynamic synergy of community and job politics led to his 
transition from machinist to staff activist at Yale University. Mr. 
Wilson was hired by Yale to desegregate their School of Medicine during 
a period of hiring and enrollment reforms. From Assistant Dean of 
Student Affairs at the Medical School, Mr. Wilson moved to Yale-New 
Haven Hospital's Office of Government and Community Relations where he 
worked until his ``retirement'' in 1985. During his tenure at Yale-New 
Haven, he sat on many local and state governing boards, and is a 
lecturer at the Yale School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry.
  For the past 13 years he has been the Executive Director of the Hill 
Development Corporation, working diligently to ensure every family's 
right to decent, affordable housing. For his countless efforts and 
contributions to New Haven, Mr. Wilson was given the Elm Award in 1995, 
the city's highest honor. In addition to his esteemed years of service, 
Courtland Wilson raised his usually low profile by winning his first 
elected office, that of Democratic Party Ward Co-Chair, at age 78.
  A man who loves life, Courtland Wilson enjoys the company of his wife 
of 56 years, Ruth, and his children, Courtland H., Jon, Ruthia, and 
Peter, as well as the company of his many grandchildren and great-
grandchildren. As his family and friends gather to celebrate his eight 
decades of improving our world, I rise today to wish him a happy and 
healthy birthday, and to thank him for his countless, tireless 
contributions.

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