[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 110 (Friday, July 30, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN HONOR OF MS. MARGARET BLAKE ROACH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 29, 1999

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I 
rise today to mark the loss of a remarkable leader in South Florida. 
Margaret Blake Roach, an educator and pioneer in civil rights, passed 
away on July 16, 1999, among her loving family in Ft. Lauderdale, 
Florida. The Broward County community is no doubt in mourning for the 
loss of this great leader, mentor, and role model.
  Margaret Roach served as a beacon of wisdom and fairness for many who 
suffered from social injustice. For more than thirty years, Margaret 
was at the forefront of the civil rights movement. She was the founder 
and president emeritus of the Urban League of Broward County and a 
founding member of the Broward/South Palm Beach region of the National 
Conference for Community and Justice. She was guded by the simple 
principle of access to opportunity for all, and she shared that 
principle with everyone she came in contact.
  In addition, Margaret Roach realized the need and the importance to 
attend to the community's future by caring for the local children. She 
worked as an administrator in Broward County Schools for almost 24 
years and was trustee and former chairperson of the Board of Trustees 
at Broward Community College. Margaret nurtured her students with an 
uncommon commitment to education and an education that went far beyond 
reading, writing, and arithmetic. She taught her students by example 
and brought both her time and leadership to various civic 
establishments such as the United Way, Habitat for Humanity, and the 
Cleveland Clinic.
  The State of Florida will truly miss Margaret Roach for both her 
vision and her commitment to serving others. I am confident that 
despite the sadness of her loss, the Broward community will celebrate 
her exceptional life through the organizations to which she dedicated 
both her time and compassion. Mr. Speaker, I ask for my colleagues to 
join me as we honor this great American who has left such a memorable 
impression on the lives of so many people. I am grateful to Margaret 
Roach for her years of dedicated service to humanity and mourn her 
loss.

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