[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 52 (Friday, May 1, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S4034]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO ERROL SEWELL

  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, if one wants to find an excellent 
example of a private organization making a significant difference in 
the lives of young people, one need look no further than the Boys & 
Girls Clubs of America. This organization has dedicated itself to 
providing invaluable services and activities for our Nation's youngest 
citizens, and their efforts have not only helped to provide a diversion 
from the many destructive temptations that face our children in this 
day and age, but have also made neighborhoods throughout the United 
States better places to live.
  For the past forty-two years, Errol Sewell has dedicated his life to 
promoting the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and helping to make this 
organization the success it is today. Mr. Sewell's association with the 
Boys & Girls Clubs began in Valdosta, Georgia where he was a member of 
the clubhouse in what was then a small, sleepy southern town near the 
Florida border. In 1956, Mr. Sewell made what was a natural transition, 
from that of ``club member'' to ``club staffer'', and he began what 
became a lifelong association with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
  Mr. Sewell's abilities and talents as a manager and a leader did not 
go unnoticed, and he was brought to the national staff in 1969 in the 
capacity of field representative for the Southeast region. Over the 
past almost twenty years, he has worked tirelessly to promote the 
Clubs, and has steadily moved up the organization ladder to the 
position of senior vice president. In that capacity, Mr. Sewell 
established what will be his most lasting legacy of service and 
accomplishment in the Boys & Girls Clubs of America organization, he is 
credited with being one of the key people in almost doubling the number 
of members of this organization.
  In the late 1980's when Mr. Sewell became Senior Vice President for 
Field Services, there were approximately one million boys and girls who 
belonged to about 1,000 clubs across the nation. It became the vision 
and the goal of senior officers of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to 
double the size of its membership in five years, and largely through 
the determination and hard work of Errol Sewell, that goal was reached. 
Today, there are almost three million children who are members of the 
Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and clubhouses are added to this 
organization at a rate of about four a week. This is truly an 
impressive accomplishment, and it is one that is worthy of 
commendation. Errol Sewell and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America are 
deserving of credit and our gratitude.
  Mr. President, Errol Sewell is retiring from the organization that 
has been a part of his life since his childhood. As this dedicated man 
steps down from his duties, he can take great pride in all he has 
accomplished, not the least of which is securing the most lucrative 
endowment the organization has ever received, $10 million to establish 
the ``Joseph B. Whitehead Leadership Development Fund''. 
Unquestionably, Mr. Sewell leaves the Boys & Girls Clubs of America a 
bigger, better, and stronger organization thanks to his efforts, and I 
know that he will be missed by all those who have had the pleasure of 
working with him. I am certain that all my colleagues would join me in 
congratulating him on his successes and wishing him continued health 
and happiness in the years to come.

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