[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 94 (Monday, July 9, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7329-S7330]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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            IN RECOGNITION OF REVEREND HURLEY J. COLEMAN SR.

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, today I acknowledge the life and 
accomplishments of a distinguished and principled public servant who 
served as a minister in my home State of Michigan, Reverend Hurley J. 
Coleman Sr. Today, people will be gathering in Saginaw, MI, to pay 
tribute to and celebrate the life of a man who for nearly five decades, 
served as a leader, spiritual mentor and role model in his community.
  Throughout his life, Reverend Coleman dedicated himself to serving 
his family, his church and his God. The esteem in which he was held by 
all who knew him is due to the fact that Pastor Coleman's life was a 
powerful testimony to the message he preached weekly at Coleman Temple 
Church of God in Christ.
  Considered one of the deans of the Saginaw clergy, Pastor Coleman's 
career had a humble beginning. Licensed as a minister in the Church of 
God in Christ in 1953, Pastor Coleman's first congregation gathered for 
worship in his home. A short four years after the inception of this 
congregation, they broke ground for a new church. This facility now 
serves over 300 members--an amazing number considering that the 
Pastor's first congregation included only six members.

[[Page S7330]]

  During his tenure as pastor, Hurley Coleman played a pivotal role in 
the struggle for racial equality and other civil rights causes. In 
these efforts, he has been able to unite people of different races and 
denominations around the common goal of improving life for all people.
  I believe that nothing bears witness to the depth and integrity of 
Pastor Coleman's ministry and life more than his family. Pastor Coleman 
and his wife Martha were married for 51 years. During this time they 
served the community and were able to raise 10 children. These 
children: Hurlette Dickens, Hurley Jr., Charles, Ritchie, Ronnie, E. 
Yvonne Lewis, Myra Williams, Elaine Bonner, Evelyn Yeager and Edna 
Coleman, are pillars in their community who have followed their 
parent's example of service to others.
  The vitality and strength of our Nation is due, in a large part, to 
the dedication and efforts of individuals like the Reverend Hurley J. 
Coleman Sr. Reverend Coleman and his wife were a dedicated couple whose 
love for one another and their family touched the entire community that 
they tirelessly sought to serve. I am sure that my Senate colleagues 
will join me in honoring the memory of the Reverend Hurley J. Coleman 
Sr., and in wishing his family well in the years ahead.

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