[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 64 (Wednesday, May 5, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S4817]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO BETTY FRANKLIN-HAMMONDS

 Mr. FEINGOLD. On April 28th, Madison lost a dedicated advocate 
and a dear friend: Betty Franklin-Hammonds.
  Betty's life story is a catalogue of remarkable achievements. From 
her tenure as the executive director of the Madison Urban League, where 
she spearheaded a study on the gap in achievement between black and 
white students in the Madison school system, to her leadership at the 
Madison Times and the numerous awards she received for her work, there 
are countless examples of Betty's effectiveness as an advocate in the 
community.
  But it was her character, more than any title or award, that defined 
Betty and made her such a powerful presence in our community. She was a 
truth teller who never backed down from a fight, a woman who led by 
example and wasn't shy about asking others to make the commitment to 
change she demanded from herself.
  Betty was a unique combination of a quiet dignity and a fierce 
passion for justice that could only be quenched by constant motion. She 
worked tirelessly, as a social worker, at the Madison chapter of the 
NAACP, at the Urban League, and at the Madison Times, to make our city 
a better place.
  Her own words tell us more about Betty than any tribute ever could. 
After receiving an award for her humanitarian work, she once told a 
crowd that ``everybody can be great because everybody can serve.'' By 
that measure, Betty Franklin-Hammonds was great indeed.

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