[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 1, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING ROBERT WILLIAM SAUNDERS, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM DAVIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 1, 2003

  Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of Robert William 
Saunders, Sr. Last week, Bob lost his life to injuries from an 
automobile accident that occurred last month, and Florida lost a 
fearless champion for equal rights.
  Bob was best known for his tireless efforts as field director of 
Florida's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People 
from 1952 to 1966. Bob took over after his predecessor, Harry T. Moore 
and Moore's wife, Harriette, were assassinated in a Christmas night 
bombing of their home--a crime which remains unsolved.
  Undaunted, Bob gave Florida's NAACP his all, traveling throughout the 
state to organize local chapters and battling discrimination at every 
level. Bob helped organize bus boycotts, sit-ins, voter registration 
drives and protests, including the 1963 March on Tallahassee, staged 
just five months prior to the famous March on Washington. He fought for 
affirmative action and school integration and fought against police 
brutality and segregation at public beaches and housing.
  Bob went on to serve for a decade as the U.S. Office of Economic 
Opportunity's chief of civil rights for the Southeast, and to work as 
director of Hillsborough County's Office of Equal Opportunity. His 
unfailing and selfless dedication to the pursuit of equal rights, 
despite public rebuke and personal threats, earned Bob enormous respect 
throughout Florida, as well as an honorary doctorate in public service 
from the University of Tampa.
  On behalf of the Tampa Bay community, I would like to extend my 
deepest sympathies to Bob's family. His groundbreaking efforts will not 
be forgotten.




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