[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 162 (Tuesday, November 16, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2399-E2400]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE MAGNIFICENT PEARLIE EVANS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM (BILL) CLAY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 16, 1999

  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, in December 1998 my right hand retired. My St. 
Louis District Director, Pearlie Evans withdrew from office life after 
a long and distinguished career in government service. I know Pearlie 
cherished her many years on my staff almost as much as I cherished her 
able and devoted service. I also believe Pearlie Evans has enjoyed her 
first year of retirement nearly as much as her coworkers and I have 
missed her daily presence.
  Mr. Speaker, by all accounts, Pearlie Evans is an outstanding St. 
Louisan whose contributions to our community may be never-ending. As 
the occasion of the anniversary of her retirement from my office is 
approaching, I would like to take the opportunity to share with my 
colleagues the following story, which appeared in A Magazine (August 
1999) about the life and times of the magnificent Pearlie Evans.

                      [From A Magazine, Aug. 1999]

                      Pearlie--A Mover and Shaker

       She's a mover and shaker. Here, in St. Louis, Jefferson 
     City, Washington D.C. Everywhere she goes. Often honored as 
     one who continually gives back to her community, she now has 
     40 plus awards, certificates, and plaques that reflect 26 
     years of dedicated service during her tenure as district 
     assistant to Congressman Clay of the first congressional 
     district. She is someone who has never stopped giving. She is 
     the magnificent Pearlie Evans. When you step in her private 
     domain, all you see are turtles, turtles and more turtles. 
     Ceramic turtles, plastic turtles, fluffy turtles, stuffed 
     turtles, multicolored turtles, handmade turtles, etc. . . . 
     turtles. I attempted to count them but each

[[Page E2400]]

     time, I would lose count. Turtles, like herself, are living 
     creatures, who are not afraid to stick their necks out she 
     said, as she spoke in remembrance of the time she and 
     journalism icon (the late) Betty Lee, went to Mississippi for 
     the first year anniversary of Medgar Evers' assassination.
       She reared back and glared at the ceiling. Her eyes were 
     full of laughter as she reached out her hands as if to grasp 
     the memory out of the air of how they all had to lay on the 
     car floor during the entire ride to Evers' brother's house.
       The town white folk were following behind them and shooting 
     at the car. As the memories began to unfold, so did the 
     history of a woman who was proud not only of her political 
     and civil accomplishments, but even more, of the blessed 
     privilege of knowing the family legacy from which she had 
     come. With pride and gratitude she boasted with pleasure 
     about her father's dad, grandpa Ingram. Says Evans, I love 
     the story of the Ingram folk. She's a mover and a shaker. 
     Here, in St. Louis, Jefferson city, Washington D.C., 
     everywhere. A folk, she described, as being of good stock. 
     She was reminded of this fact ever since she was about three 
     years old. Also embedded in her heart were four generations 
     of Ingram history whose roots trace back to a tall, herdsman 
     people known as the Fulani tribe. A most cherished memory of 
     her original homeland was when she first visited the tribe in 
     1970. Evans said the resemblance was such that she was 
     thought to be African by other members of the Fulani tribe. 
     She was immediately recognized by the village mother who 
     seemed overwhelmed by Evans' presence. The village mother 
     immediately took Evans' into her arms and commenced to cuddle 
     her. She held, hugged and rocked her as tears streamed down 
     from her eyes. She was told that all the Africans taken 
     during the slave trade had been eaten by their captives. What 
     a spiritual catharsis it was to see Pearlie Evans as final, 
     living proof that this had not been the fate of her people. 
     Like the Fulani, grandpa Ingram was also a herdsman. His 
     produce included grapes, squash, pepper, green beans, beans, 
     and various corn crops. A well established businessman, 
     originally from Florence, Alabama, he also owned a cafe 
     called the Ingram restaurant. The cafe probably would have 
     had a different title if the family name had not changed 
     after the emancipation proclamation.
       Grandpa Ingraham wanted to remove the slavery background 
     from the family name so he changed their name from Ingraham 
     to Ingram, explained Evans. His parents, Roxanne and Thomas, 
     however, were laid to rest under the name they were born 
     with. Evans boasted with dignity about grandpa Ingram and his 
     two brothers. The one, tragic incident that did occur, 
     involved grandpa Ingram's first wife, Sarah. She died of 
     asphyxiation in Alabama, during a house fire which was 
     started by the town's Ku Klux Klansman in the early 1920's. 
     Evans remembered her grandpa describing when he first met 
     Sarah at a local community fair. She was the prettiest girl 
     there he told Evans. Even though her parents thought his skin 
     was too dark complected for their daughter, he was finally 
     allowed to marry her in 1900. From this union came one dark 
     child, uncle Cornelius and one brown child, aunt Edmonia who, 
     born in 1910, was the first college graduate of the Ingram 
     family.
       Due to the financial success of the Ingram Restaurant, they 
     were able to provide a home for many poor kids by inviting 
     them into their own home. Evans also talked about Grandpa 
     Ingram's great compassion for grandpa Jack, who was her 
     mother's father. Grandpa Ingram loved grandpa Jack because he 
     was a hard working farmer like himself. She shared the story 
     about the time the KKK was planning to kill grandpa Jackson 
     and his family in order to steal their land. Evans said 
     grandpa Ingram paid for four horses and a wagon so grandpa 
     Jackson's family could be escorted to safety via a route much 
     similar to that of an underground railroad. The NAACP also 
     participated by covering up her mom and other family members 
     with hay in an effort to help the family escape from the Ku 
     Klux Klan's methods of terror. Undoubtedly, both sides of the 
     family are loyal to this historic civil rights organization 
     unto this very day, says Evans. This was not the first time 
     someone from the Jackson lineage was subjected to impromptu 
     behavior as a means to escape slavery. About three 
     generations ago, aunt Molly, a great aunt of Evans, chose to 
     jump ship rather than come to America as a slave. Aunt Molly 
     was the sister of Mary, who begot Kate (grandpa jack's wife) 
     and was followed by Donna who mothered Pearlie. By the time 
     grandpa Jack was born (1865) and had died (1949) he had 
     fathered 17 children. Financially, the Jacksons were not as 
     well off as the Ingrams, Evans expressed as she shared a 
     family portrait. Thought, this family had very little money, 
     they too, seemed rich in the knowledge of their family 
     history. It was grandma Jackson who gave Evans most of the 
     Jackson family's oral history. She told her that her own 
     father was not a slave but a free man who lived and worked as 
     a railroad porter up north. He had often kept a written 
     record of the Jackson family history. Evans remembered her 
     Aunt Minnie, who lived to be a ripe 94 years old as sort of 
     the family coordinator. She was also told about aunt Amanda 
     who married a Cuban and left the country, never to be seen 
     again. According to family history, it was her hatred for 
     white folks that encouraged her to leave the United States 
     stated Ms. Evans. The last born of Grandpa Jack's children 
     was Evan's mom and the first was uncle Henry. For all family 
     members whose detailed stories are yet to be told, there are 
     black heritage pictures all along her walls that definitely 
     help fill the void. The atmosphere reflects a sentiment that 
     embraces much of the trial and tribulations that kept both 
     families together from one generation to the next. It was 
     Grandpa Ingram's second marriage to Mae Bell in the late 
     1920s which began the generation of Ms. Evan's dad, who was 
     the first of three children born from this union.
       Mrs. Evans has been the District Assistant to Congressman 
     William L. Clay since 1972. She attended Lincoln Elementary 
     School and graduated from Vashon High School in St. Louis. 
     She received her B.A. Degree in Sociology and Political 
     Science from Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Missouri, 
     and her Master's Degree of Social Work from Washington 
     University, St. Louis, Missouri.
       Her professional experience includes years of government 
     and community service. She has served as Commissioner of the 
     Division of Community Service, Housing Relocation and Social 
     Services for the Elderly, City of St. Louis, Worker and 
     Supervisor for the United Church of Christ Neighborhood 
     Houses, Fellowship Center and Plymouth House directing 
     children, adults, senior citizens, and community organization 
     activities.
       Over the years, she has been a practicum instructor of 
     Social Work at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, 
     Washington University since the early seventies and the 
     Missouri Coordinator for Voter Registration with Operation 
     Big Vote. She has also been a Democratic political activist 
     for candidates at the local, state, and national levels.
       Mrs. Evans is a past President of the Board of Directors of 
     the William L. Clay Scholarship and Research Fund, member of 
     the WEB DuBois Board of Directors, was the local Alpha Kappa 
     Alpha Member of the Year and Life Member and was selected for 
     the Ivy Wall of Fame at National Headquarters, Chicago, 
     Illinois. She is now a 50 Year (Golden) Member of the Alpha 
     Kappa Alpha Sorority.
       Mrs. Evans has been active in numerous professional 
     organizations, boards, and committees. A few are the Academy 
     of Certified Social Workers (ACSW), National Association of 
     Black Social Workers (NABSW), NAACP Life Member, the United 
     Negro College Fund, the Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday 
     Committee, and the Regional Coordinator of the Push/Rainbow 
     Coalition of the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr. Mrs. Evans has 
     received numerous civic and professional awards, including 
     the Lifetime Achievement Award from Better Family Life; the 
     Political Leadership Award from the Young Democrats of St. 
     Louis; the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Martin 
     Luther King Support Group; the National Association of Black 
     Social Workers African Fidelity Award (St. Louis Chapter); 
     The 1st Gwen B. Giles Award from the Missouri Legislative 
     Black Caucus; the Distinguished Alumni Award from the George 
     Warren Brown School of Social Work; and the Distinguished 
     Service Award from the National Council of Negro Women. She 
     has received certificates of appreciation for leadership and 
     community service from many organizations including the St. 
     Louis Job Corps Center, the YWCA, and the William L. Clay 
     Scholarship and Research Fund. Mrs. Evans has traveled 
     extensively and participated in many international 
     conferences and workshops. In the early seventies, she was a 
     Consultant for Rutgers University Forum for International 
     Studies in Accra, Ghana. Some of her other cultural and 
     educational travels include a St. Louis Sister City 
     Conference in Dakar and St. Louis, Senegal, West Africa, 
     Washington Universitys China Cultural Triangle Tour, and the 
     Lutheran Public Housing Visits to Paris, London, Berlin, and 
     other European cities. As a member of the African-American 
     Cultural and Arts Network Organization, she attended 
     workshops in the Ivory Coast, Spain and Morocco, Egypt, 
     Salvador, Bahia, and Rio De Janeiro, Brasil. With the 
     International Federation on Aging, she attended the third 
     annual conference in Durban, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

     

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