[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 76 (Tuesday, May 25, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1083]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN MEMORY OF MR. OSCAR CROSS OF PADUCAH, KENTUCKY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ED WHITFIELD

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 25, 1999

  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in tribute to the life and 
legacy of Mr. Oscar Cross of Paducah, Kentucky, whose passing on April 
20, 1999 at the age of 92 ended his long and productive investment in 
great causes, high ideals and humanitarian service.
  Mr. Cross was not a man of material wealth. Undeterred, he built a 
legacy of leadership built on the wisdom of one of his favorite adages: 
``If you don't have money, you have time.'' He gave unstintingly of his 
time, his energy and his vision of a better community in which none 
were left behind.
  Mr. Cross was a founder of the Paducah Boys & Girls Club that now 
bears his name. He was a tireless advocate of young people and helped 
provide a sheltering hand for generations of boys and girls who found 
protection, love, guidance and inspiration as the result of his 
efforts.
  In a front-page account of his funeral service, The Paducah Sun 
observed, ``On the day that had been declared Oscar Cross Day by the 
city of Paducah to commemorate his legacy, hundreds of mourners turned 
out to pay their last respects to one of the city's greatest 
humanitarians. Nearly 500 people gathered at First Baptist Church 
Sunday afternoon for the funeral of the legendary humanitarian. Both 
blacks and whites filled the church to celebrate, not mourn the life 
and contributions Cross made.''
  Dhomynic Lightfoot, president of the Boys and Girls Club, was quoted 
as saying, ``Having people of different colors, cultures and 
backgrounds here to celebrate (his life) is a contribution to Mr. 
Cross. The perceptions that he broke were astronomical.''
  In a fitting eulogy, Reverend Raynaldo Henderson, pastor of the 
Washington Street Missionary Baptist Church, used a parable to 
illustrate Mr. Cross's faith in young people and in God. ``Whoever gets 
the Son, gets it All! Do you want peace? Get the Son! Do you want joy? 
Get the Son! Whoever gets the Son, gets it all!'' he said.
  Mr. Speaker, in further tribute to his remarkable life, I place 
before the House of Representatives and the Nation for inclusion in the 
Congressional Record a poem favored by Mr. Cross and a letter written 
to me by Mr. Clarence E. Nunn, Sr., executive director of the Boys and 
Girls Club.
                                  ____
                                  

                   THE HOUSE BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD


   ``He was a friend to man, and lived in a house by the side of the 
                                road.''

                                 Homer

     There are hermit souls that live withdrawn, In the peace of 
         their self-content;
     There are souls, like stars, that dwell apart, In a 
         fellowless firmament;
     There are pioneer souls that blaze their paths, Where 
         highways never ran;
     But let me live by the side of the road. And be a friend to 
         man.
     Let me live in a house by the side of the road, Where the 
         race of men go by--
     The men who are good and the men who are bad, As good and as 
         bad as I.
     I would not sit in the scorner's seat, Or hurl the cynic's 
         ban;
     Let me live in a house by the side of the road, And be a 
         friend to man.
     I see from my house by the side of the road, By the side of 
         the highway of life,
     The men who press with the ardor of hope, The men who are 
         faint with the strife.
     But I turn not away from their smiles nor their tears--Both 
         parts of an infinite plan;
     Let me live in my house by the side of the road, And be a 
         friend to man.
     I know there are brook-gladdened meadows ahead, And mountains 
         of wearisome height,
     That the road passes on through the long afternoon, And 
         stretches away to the night.
     But still I rejoice when the travelers rejoice, And week with 
         the strangers that moan,
     Nor live in my house by the side of the road, Like a man who 
         dwells alone.
     Let me live in my house by the side of the road, Where the 
         race of men go by--
     They are good, they are bad, they are weak, they are strong,
     Wise, foolish--so am I.
     Then why should I sit in the scorner's seat, Or hurl the 
         cynic's ban?--
     Let me live in my house by the side of the road, And be a 
         friend to man.
       Sam Walter Foss.


       
                                  ____
                                                Oscar Cross Boys &


                                        Girls Club of Paducah,

                                         Paducah, KY, May 17, 1999
       Dear Congressman Whitfield, I am enclosing a brief history 
     of Oscar Cross, the founder of the Oscar Cross Boys & Girls 
     Club of Paducah, who was killed in an automobile accident on 
     Tuesday, April 20, 1999. The Paducah community and untold 
     numbers of men and women across the nation owe a huge debt to 
     Mr. Cross for the countless acts of unconditional love and 
     service to mankind he performed while living.
       For several years, Mr. Cross worked as a janitor at the 
     courthouse in Paducah, and the courthouse became the initial 
     meeting place for the newly organized Jr. Legion Boys Club 
     formed by Mr. Cross and a few local young men in 1950. In 
     1953, the organization united with the Boys Clubs of America. 
     It was the first African-American club and is the second 
     oldest Boys & Girls Club in Kentucky. The dream of operating 
     a safe, drug-free environment for kids became a reality for 
     Mr. Cross after many days and nights of soul-searching, 
     praying and rising above the obstacles of segregation and 
     separatist attitudes.
       When he was refused access to a larger building and better 
     facilities for his ``boys'' he sought other creative ways to 
     obtain his goals. He and several club members cleaned and 
     sold used bricks in order to secure the necessary funds to 
     purchase the current club location on Jackson Street. Each 
     time a door was slammed in his face, he invented ``windows'' 
     of opportunity until he was able to achieve his mission. His 
     tenacity and perseverance enabled him to see his vision of a 
     facility for the youth of Paducah become a reality and in 
     1987, the library named in honor of Delbert Shumpert, a 
     talented athlete and former club member, was erected on the 
     site of the current boys & girls address.
       Throughout his lifetime, Mr. Cross received innumerable 
     awards, certificates and letters of recognition, far too many 
     to list in this letter. However, a few of his recognized 
     achievements include: The Bronze Keystone Award from the Boys 
     & Girls Club of America for 25 years of service (the first 
     black to receive this award), Kentucky Colonel Award, a Duke 
     of Paducah Award, certificate of merit from the Paducah Area 
     Chamber of Commerce, certificate of appreciation from the 4-H 
     Club of Paducah Community College, the Lucy Hart Smith-Atwood 
     S. Wilson Award from the Human Relations Committee of the 
     Kentucky Education Association and many, many others. His 
     most recent honor came three days before his death from Kappa 
     Alpha Psi, a community service fraternity, for his 
     humanitarian efforts.
       His legacy of ``never give up in the face of adversity'' is 
     something that will be treasured and remembered by all who 
     had the privilege of knowing him for the brief 92 years he 
     spent with us. Until his death he continued to be an active 
     vital member of the club, continuing to look for financial 
     opportunities and ways to develop our young people so that 
     they would realize there are alternatives to the streets. He 
     was and is a remarkable man and an excellent role model.
           Sincerely,
                                            Clarence L. Nunn, Sr.,
                                               Executive Director.



     

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