[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 24, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S8431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO MAYNARD JACKSON

  Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, I rise this evening to pay tribute to one 
of Georgia's finest, one of this Nation's finest. I pay tribute to the 
life and legacy of former mayor of Atlanta, Maynard Jackson. In a city 
known for its great civil rights leaders, Maynard Jackson was truly one 
of the greatest. The people of Atlanta and Georgia have lost one of our 
strongest and most articulate fighters. Indeed, the State of Georgia 
tonight is mourning the passing of one of our greatest citizens.
  Maynard Jackson was such a positive presence in all that has happened 
in Atlanta and in Georgia over the past 30 years that I simply cannot 
imagine what our city and our State would be like if he had not come 
our way.
  His impact stretched far beyond the red clay hills of Georgia. He 
touched the lives of many people all around this world. For me, Maynard 
Jackson was a good friend, a friend whose counsel I always sought 
because I knew he would give it to me straight. In Atlanta the City 
Hall and the State Capitol are right across the street from each other. 
He and I crossed that street to talk on many occasions.
  Maynard's rise to prominence began at an early age. As a child 
prodigy he entered Morehouse College at age 14. He graduated in 1956 
with a bachelor's degree of political science and history. In 1964 he 
graduated from North Carolina Central University Law School. Maynard 
then returned to Atlanta as an attorney for the National Labor 
Relations Board followed by a time at the Emory Community Legal 
Services Center where he provided legal counsel for low-income 
Atlantans.
  He ran for the Senate in 1968 and lost. But we all knew at that time 
the world would come to know the voice of this very remarkable, 
articulate, and passionate young man. In 1973, at the age of 35, he 
became mayor of Atlanta after winning nearly 60 percent of the vote in 
a runoff against incumbent mayor Sam Massell. This great-grandson of 
slaves served 12 years as mayor of the South's largest city. His tenure 
saw the construction of what would become the world's busiest airport, 
Hartsfield International.
  He was a fierce advocate for those who thought they were forgotten. 
He became their voice. In him, they found a great fighter.
  The New York Times wrote of Maynard's tenure as mayor it created ``a 
political revolution in the heart of the South. Seemingly overnight, it 
transformed Atlanta into a mecca for talented, aspiring blacks from all 
across the country.''
  The Washington Post described Maynard's impact this way:

       African Americans around the country looked at Jackson's 
     win . . . and saw even greater possibilities. If they did it 
     in Atlanta in the heart of the Confederacy, they could do it 
     at home, too . . .

  Vernon Jordan, himself a native of Atlanta, said his most dramatic 
awareness the South had changed and the city of Atlanta had changed was 
the day Maynard took the oath of office as mayor of Atlanta. Vernon 
said it was an unforgettable moment.
  As the angels now sing the praises of Maynard Jackson on the other 
side of that river, I join the chorus of those who yet remain in 
glorious song to this glorious individual, his life and legacy truly an 
example for all of us. And he will not be forgotten anytime soon.

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