[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 70 (Wednesday, June 3, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E990-E991]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING THE ZETA PHI BETA SORORITY 1998 HONOREES OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DALE E. KILDEE

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 3, 1998

  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the recipients of 
the 1998 Woman of the Year and Family of the Year awards presented by 
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. Dr. Dorothy L. Brown has been chosen as the 
Woman of the Year. Irene and Earcy Christmon, Jr. and family are this 
year's honorees as Family of the Year. Zeta Phi Beta Sorority will 
present the awards at the 15th Annual Finer Womanhood Scholarship 
Luncheon on June 6 in Pontiac, Michigan.
  Dr. Dorothy L. Brown is a tireless volunteer in the Pontiac 
community. After retiring from North Oakland Medical Center in 1995 as 
a nurse, she continues to devote her life to easing the pain of others. 
Every week she is at the Bowen Center providing health information, 
taking blood pressures, assisting senior citizens with medical 
referrals, and providing numerous other services. She has conducted 
health care seminars at the New Bethel Shelter, the Women's Survival 
Center, and the Baldwin Shelter. Dr. Brown is a regular volunteer with 
the St. Joseph's Parish Nurse Project bringing together spiritual and 
physical healing in the community.
  Currently the president of the Michigan Black Nurses Association, Dr. 
Brown also participates with the National Black Storytellers, the Red 
Cross, OLSHA, the NAACP, and the National Association of Black 
Professional Women. In January, 1998 she was awarded an honorary Ph.D. 
in Humanities from S.J. Williams School of Religion. In addition, Dr.

[[Page E991]]

Brown is the mother of seven children by birth and four adopted 
children. A member of the Liberty Baptist Church, Dr. Brown has 
previously received the Foster Parent Award.
  Over the forty-one years of their marriage, Irene and Earcy 
Christmon, Jr. have stood as a shining example of family unity. Their 
deep commitment to God, to each other, to their children, and their 
community, has touched numerous lives. Their extensive list of 
community activities includes, but is not limited to, the Urban League, 
the Credit Union Board, the Missionary Society, the Usher Board, the 
Food Committee and The Church of God Executive Board.
  Their six children are a living testament to Irene and Earcy's love. 
They have endowed their children with the same strength and dedication 
that have been the cornerstones of their own lives. All of the children 
have assumed leadership roles in their chosen professions. Two of the 
sons have been entrusted by God to be spiritual leaders.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me today to 
congratulate Dr. Dorothy Brown and Irene and Earcy Christmon, Jr. 
individuals being honored by the Lambda Rho Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi 
Beta Sorority. They richly deserve the accolades being bestowed upon 
them.

                          ____________________