[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 14 (Monday, January 27, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E67]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




A TRIBUTE TO SAMUEL J. SIMMONS: A COMPASSIONATE ADVOCATE FOR LOW-INCOME 
                         AND MINORITY CITIZENS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 27, 2003

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to one of our 
nation's unsung heroes, the late Mr. Samuel J. Simmons, President and 
Chief Executive Officer of the National Caucus and Center on Black 
Aged, Inc. (NCBA). His untimely demise on Sunday, January 12, 2003 
leaves a gaping void in our nation's quest for quality service to our 
low income and minority senior citizens.
  My district and the entire state of Florida will surely miss him for 
the longevity of his genuine commitment to the well being of our elder 
constituency under the aegis of the Center he so ably led. When I think 
of Mr. Simmons' consecration to our senior citizens, it is clear that 
it virtually parallels much of this nation's history as it struggled 
through the countless challenges of gender and racial equality.
  I first came to know him when he served as President of the National 
Center for Housing Management (NCHM), which trains individuals to 
manage housing and services for the nation's low-income population. He 
also served as the Assistant Secretary for Equal Opportunity of the 
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Director of Field 
Operations for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He also worked for 
16 years from 1978 to 1994 as a Director of the Federal National 
Mortgage Association (FNMA) Corporate Board of Directors and the FNMA 
Foundation Board of Directors.
  Prior to this tragedy that has befallen our Black and minority senior 
citizens, this dynamo of a public servant came in our midst to give 
hope and courage to the underserved and disenfranchised constituents 
from our nation's inner cities. He urged them to stay informed and 
become knowledgeable of the various legislations proffered by Congress, 
along with the impact these initiatives would have upon their lives. 
Time and time again, he managed to prod the key leadership in Congress, 
particularly the Congressional Black Caucus, as well as the top 
officials in the administration, by focusing their attention on the 
needs and concerns of the burgeoning population of our elderly 
population. He urged them to strengthen Social Security benefits under 
the Medicare and Medicaid programs, prescription drugs, housing 
initiatives and the like. He forged his vast institutional memory and 
experience into a veritable force that compelled the various agencies 
of our government to respond accordingly to the agenda of the NCBA in a 
manner that immensely benefited its constituency.
  Mr. Simmons was a multi-dimensional public servant, a civic activist 
par excellence, and an indefatigable community-builder who is 
completely unselfish in all his endeavors. The authenticity of his 
stewardship on behalf of our nation's Black and minority senior 
citizens was buttressed by his utmost consecration to his vocation as 
God's faithful servant, bringing hope and optimism to thousands of 
ordinary folks whose lives he touched so deeply, never holding anyone 
at arm's length.
  He was the Founder and Treasurer of the Summit Health Coalition, the 
national lobbying arm for African Americans on healthcare reform and 
was a Board Member of the International Federation on Aging, the 
national nongovernmental organization concerned with issues of the 
elderly throughout the world. He also served as a Board Member of the 
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA), the 
major advocacy for housing and living arrangements for older people, 
and the Leadership Council on Aging Organizations (LCAO), a coalition 
of all major organizations concerned with issues affecting the elderly.
  For all his efforts of advocacy for the elderly, he was feted with a 
number of citations, including the Arthur S. Fleming Award from the 
Joint Conference on Law and Aging, the Distinguished Service Award by 
AAHSA, and the Senior Advocate Award granted by the United States 
Health Cooperative.
  This remarkable leader was a friend and confidante in his pioneering 
mission to help establish the Congressional Black Caucus Aging 
Braintrust under the aegis of Congresswoman Carrie P. Meek, my mother. 
Indeed, we are deeply saddened by his death. At the same time, however, 
he will forever be an indelible reminder of the noble commitment and 
awesome power of public service on behalf of the less fortunate. His 
faith was deep and genuine, and his love for our low-income population 
of senior citizens defined his dynamic friendship and understanding. No 
one who knew Sam Simmons--and having been struck by his sunny 
disposition and eternal optimism--went away not acknowledging the 
towering presence of a caring and compassionate leader.
  His life was truly akin to that of a burning candle, the ritualistic 
symbolism of our Christian faith. Just as a candle's lifelong service 
is to shed its light to illuminate the darkness of pessimism and 
hopelessness until it is fully consumed, so too did Sam Simmons 
consecrate his life by serving his God through his outreach efforts to 
our nation's elders. This authentic trailblazer was a superlative 
example of the depth and nobility that inclusiveness brings to once-
exclusive rights that only belonged to a privileged few. He will be 
remembered long after many others of his era are gone and forgotten. At 
a time when there is a rapid upswing in our unprecedented economic 
successes and technological advancements at the national, state and 
local levels, his persevering stance about the glaring gap between the 
haves and the have-nots in our nation still reverberates in our low-
income communities and serves as a timely warning to those charged with 
advancing the common good of all Americans. It is truly his commitment 
in this arena that will most assuredly characterize his profile in 
courage. Though his voice is now stilled, let us not allow its echoes 
to disappear in our midst.

  Last Monday, January 20, 2003, at the People's Congregational Church 
in Washington, D.C., I joined our nation's advocates for the low-income 
and minority senior citizens to memorialize this great leader whose 
vision is as relevant today as it was during his stewardship over the 
National Caucus and Center on Black Aged, Inc. Having a strong faith, 
Mr. Samuel Simmons would remind us that his death does not represent an 
irrevocable termination or a grim finality. He would rather have us 
firmly believe that he shall live on in the good deeds he amply left 
behind, and he will carry on through the wonderful thoughts and 
memories we all have of him.
  Like the God whom he served faithfully during his earthly sojourn, he 
came and lived among us so that we may have life--and have hope more 
abundantly. This is the magnificent legacy Sam Simmons will leave 
behind. And this is the gift with which he will bless us. May Almighty 
God grant him eternal rest!

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