[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 47 (Thursday, April 13, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E575]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                A TRIBUTE TO REV. DR. WALLACE HARTSFIELD

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                          HON. KAREN McCARTHY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 13, 2000

  Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride and 
respect that I bring to your attention, and to the attention of the 
House, the outstanding work and commitment of Rev. Dr. Wallace 
Hartsfield for 50 years of preaching to church congregations, serving 
the last thirty four years as pastor of the Metropolitan Missionary 
Baptist Church in Kansas City.
  Reverend Hartsfield was born in Atlanta, Georgia, November 13, 1929. 
He was an only child, raised by his mother, Ruby Morrissatte. After a 
three year tour of duty in the United States Army, he attended Clark 
College in Atlanta and in 1954 he received a Bachelor of Arts degree 
from Clark College. He received a Master of Divinity degree from Gammon 
Theological Seminary in Atlanta in 1957. His first pastorate was at a 
Baptist church in Pickens, South Carolina.
  Reverend Hartsfield is chairman of the Congress of National Black 
Churches which represents 65,000 churches and 20 million members. 
Reverend Hartsfield is also chairman of the Economic Development 
Commission of the National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.; second 
vice president of the National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.; 
president of the Greater Kansas City Chapter of Operation PUSH; and an 
adjunct professor of the Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas 
City, KS.
  Reverend Hartsfield is married to Matilda Hopkins and on August 28 of 
this year they will celebrate their 43rd wedding anniversary. Reverend 
and Mrs. Hartsfield are the proud parents of four wonderful children: 
Pamela Faith, Danise Hope, Ruby Love, and Wallace S. Hartsfield, II.
  I have known Reverend Hartsfield over the years through his extensive 
involvement in the community. He has been a leader in many worthwhile 
causes and a wonderful role model for our city's young people.
  His leadership was invaluable, also, in redeveloping a blighted part 
of Kansas City when he led the Baptist Ministers' Union of Kansas City 
in their efforts to demolish the old St. Joseph's Hospital and replace 
it with a much-needed new shopping center, the Linwood Shopping Center. 
Residents of the city's central core had to travel some distances to 
buy groceries, drop off dry cleaning, and have a prescription filled, 
before the new development became a reality. Reverend Hartsfield 
successfully led the charge to secure with sufficient investment 
capital for the project, when resources for new development in that 
area of the city were scarce. He also was instrumental in the 
construction of a low-income 60-unit housing development, known as 
Metropolitan Homes, in that same geographical area.
  Reverend Hartsfield recently chaired the capital fund campaign to 
expand and update Kansas City's Swope Parkway Health Center, which 
provides invaluable assistance to many people who could not otherwise 
afford or have access to quality, state-of-the-art health care. 
Millions of dollars were raised and the new health center stands as a 
testament to the untiring efforts of committed and dedicated people 
like Reverend Hartsfield.
  Reverend Hartsfield has received numerous awards including: the One 
Hundred Most Influential Award from the Kansas City Globe newspaper; 
the Greater Kansas City Image Award presented by the Urban League; the 
Minister of the Year Award from the Baptist Ministers Union of Kansas 
City; a Public Service Award from the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime; the 
Role Model for Youth Award from Penn Valley Community College, in 
Kansas City; and a Community Service Award from Kansas City, MO, and 
then-mayor Richard Berkeley, among others.
  Additionally, he was named `One of the Top 50 Ministers in America' 
by Upscale magazine of Atlanta, GA and he received an honorary Doctor 
of Divinity degree from both Western Baptist Bible College in Kansas 
City and also from the Virginia Seminary and College of Lyncher, VA. 
Further, Reverend Hartsfield is a member of the board of directors for 
the national organization of Operation PUSH, and the Morehouse School 
of Religion in Atlanta, GA, among others.
  This weekend in Kansas City, we are celebrating Reverend Hartsfield's 
34th anniversary as pastor at the Metropolitan Missionary Baptist 
Church in Kansas City, and recognizing all of his critically important 
work and the leadership he has provided in the community over that span 
of time. He has blessed the lives of so many. Reverend Hartsfield loves 
people and he loves helping people. He has made a difference in the 
city he calls home, Kansas City, and we are proud to have him as one of 
its outstanding citizens.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join with me 
and the congregation of the Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, the 
family of Reverend Hartsfield, and the citizens of Kansas City, MO in 
congratulating Reverend Hartsfield on his 50th preaching anniversary 
and for his 34 years of service to his church and his community.

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