[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 131 (Tuesday, October 8, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO THE REVEREND NORMAN POTT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 8, 2002

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Reverend Norman 
Pott, a retired pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of San Rafael. 
Rev. Pott died on September 1, 2002, after a two-year battle with bone 
marrow cancer.
  Rev. Pott was a leader in fighting for the inclusion of gay, lesbian, 
bisexual and transgender people in the leadership of the Presbyterian 
Church. During his eleven years at the First Presbyterian Church in San 
Rafael, from 1986-1997, he promoted inclusion and acceptance of 
diversity within the church. While at the Church in San Rafael, Rev. 
Pott ran for moderator, the top job in the Presbyterian Church USA. 
Although he lost the election, he ran on a platform calling for 
ordination of lesbians and gays that brought the issue national 
attention.
  Before coming to San Rafael, Rev. Pott was a minister at the First 
Presbyterian Church in Berkeley where he worked for the rights of 
migrant farm workers, supported the work of Martin Luther King Jr. and 
counseled students at the University of California Berkeley during the 
Free Speech Movement on campus. After leaving Berkeley, Rev. Pott 
worked in Davis with Cesar Chavez for the rights of farm workers and 
was also a vocal leader for women's rights.
  Norman Pott was born in Summit, New Jersey. He attended Wheaton 
College in Illinois where he married his wife, Enid, on graduation day 
in 1954. He was drafted to the National Basketball Association from 
Wheaton, but rejected the offer in order to fulfill his dream of 
becoming a minister. He received a master's degree in divinity in 1957 
from Princeton Theological Seminary and a doctorate in philosophy in 
1960 at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Norman Pott for his many 
contributions to the community and the Church. His vision for the 
Presbyterian Church will continue to inspire both the Church and the 
communities in which he served.

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