[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 175 (Monday, December 8, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF JAMES CULLEN WILLIAMS

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                       HON. STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 8, 2003

  Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a pioneer in 
the legal profession. J.C. Williams of Cleveland Heights, Ohio passed 
away recently at the age of 82. His efforts to provide legal services 
for low-income people through President Lyndon Johnson's War On Poverty 
have set the standards for these practices to this day.
  A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he served in the Army during 
World War II. He went on to graduate from Wilberforce University and 
received his law degree from Western Reserve University in 1949. He 
worked as an assistant police prosecutor in Cleveland before joining 
the poverty program.
  A lawyer with the Legal Aid Society for 22 years, J.C. Williams 
served as director of offices throughout the 11th Congressional 
District of Ohio, in the Hough, Glenville and Central communities of 
Cleveland. After joining the society in 1966, he developed a collective 
bargaining program for landlords and tenants in Hough in which they 
could settle disputes by turning them over to third-party arbitrators. 
He served as a lawyer for needy clients until his retirement from the 
society in 1988. He maintained a private practice until his death.
  J.C. was a member of Saint James A.M.E. Church. He was also an active 
member of the Ohio and Norman S. Minor bar associations, Omega Psi Phi 
Fraternity Inc., and the Ambassador Social Club.
  It is because of his commitment to the community and desire to help 
those less fortunate that I wish to acknowledge the contributions of 
J.C. Williams on behalf of the Congress of the United States and the 
citizens of the 11th Congressional District. J.C. Williams was an 
outstanding man who will always be remembered for his outstanding good 
deeds to his community and beyond.

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