[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 165 (Friday, November 19, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2499]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING JOHN HIGHTOWER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DALE E. KILDEE

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 1999

  Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, it is a great honor for me to rise before 
you today to pay tribute to Mr. John Hightower of Flint, Michigan. On 
November 27, local officials, friends, and family will gather to honor 
this longtime activist and community leader.
  John Hightower moved to Flint in 1952, where he began a long tenure 
with the Buick Motor Company. He also joined the UAW and rose through 
its ranks, serving as a committeeman, as well as on the executive 
boards for Local 599 and Local 659. John also worked as chair of his 
Local's civil rights committee, working tirelessly to ensure that his 
fellow employees were treated with equity and respect.
  John's sense of civil rights extended into his entrepreneurial 
activities as well. As the owner of Hightower Construction and 
Hightower Electric Company, John helped build many prominent churches 
and other buildings in the Flint area. He provided training for other 
African Americans who wished to join the business world, helping them 
receive opportunities that normally would have been denied them in the 
America of the 1950's and 60's.
  When local banks refused to hire qualified African-Americans for 
jobs, it was John Hightower who organized rallies and marches to 
protest and ultimately eliminate these injustices. In later years, John 
furthered his business experience with another business, Montego Travel 
Office, later known as the Travel Centre of Flint.
  Our Flint community owes much to John for his dedication and 
generosity. Over the years, he has helped citizens gain self-
sufficiency and self-respect. He has promoted strong families with 
strong foundations, and provided food and shelter for the needy.
  Mr. Speaker, the celebration to honor John Hightower has a theme 
entitled ``Visions.'' Truly John has been a visionary, as he has given 
much of himself to make our community a better place in which to live. 
I ask my colleagues in the 106th Congress to join me in saluting John 
Hightower. We owe him a debt of gratitude.

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