[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 81 (Monday, June 14, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1110-E1111]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO ROSALIE GORDON-MILLS
______
HON. JOHN L. MICA
of florida
in the house of representatives
Monday, June 14, 2004
Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, it was my privilege to know Rosalie Robinson
Gordon-Mills, a community leader and distinguished citizen of Florida's
7th Congressional District. Her recent death is a great loss to St.
Johns County and the State of Florida because of Mrs. Gordon-Mills'
many contributions to our school system, civil rights, and community
service. I join others in paying tribute to this special woman. It is
my honor to include in the Congressional Record of the United States
House of Representatives the rich history of her life and many
contributions from a recently published obituary.
Mrs. Rosalie Robinson Gordon-Mills, 96, died April 20 at
Flagler Hospital following complications of a collapsed lung.
A retired educator and counselor for 44 years with the St.
Johns County School System, she was head of the English
Department at Excelsior School and director of guidance and
college placement at St. Augustine High School.
In addition to her teaching career, Mrs. Gordon-Mills was a
civic leader and politician, having been the first black
woman in 400 years to run for public office in St. Augustine,
for which she is currently listed in the Florida history
books. In 1986, she received a Presidential Award from
President Reagan for Private Sector Initiatives because of
her outstanding leadership role with the St. Augustine
Council on Aging in procuring the site and establishing the
first multipurpose senior citizen's center in St. Augustine.
Mrs. Gordon-Mills was born in Tallahassee, to Arthur Howard
Robinson, owner of a dairy business, which exported dairy
products interstate. Her mother, Callie Eliza Ferrell, was a
school teacher with her own school, as was her grandmother,
Henrietta Robinson, the first licensed black teacher in the
state of Florida. In the 1920's, her parents moved to St.
Augustine, where her father became the head of the
Agriculture Division of Florida Normal College and her mother
became the dean of women. They came at the invitation of
President Collier, who had met them in Tallahassee.
Mrs. Gordon-Mills attended the Model Laboratory School of
Florida A & M, where she graduated with highest honors. She
then realized her dream of attending college at Boston
University, where she majored in chemistry and physical
sciences. During her years at Boston University, she was a
member of the varsity broad jump and pole vaulting team, as
well as the debating team. She also pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha
sorority-Epsilon Chapter and was a member of The Aristos, a
Boston social club. She would later return to Boston
University and receive her master's degree in guidance and
counseling in 1947.
When she returned to St. Augustine following graduation to
visit with her parents, she met her future husband, Dr.
Rudolph Nathaniel Gordon, America's first black maxillo-
facial surgeon, who was researching a location for his
practice. They met at an Episcopalian Church picnic, were
married and were together for 25 years prior to Dr. Gordon's
death in 1959. Together they were a formidable force in the
St. Augustine community. Education and care of the children
of Lincolnville was a top priority. They encouraged young
people to attend four-year colleges and often took them to
college and paid their tuition. He established a free dental
clinic for Lincolnville children and a Boy Scout troop for
the boys of the community. After Dr. Gordon's death, Mrs.
Gordon-Mills would marry Dr. Otis J. Mills, longtime friend
and member of the family that owned the famous ``Iceberg''
drugstore and manufactured the popular ``Smooth As Silk'' ice
cream. They had a wonderful 12-year relationship before he
succumbed to Alzheimer's disease.
Mrs. Gordon-Mills was an enthusiastic participant in the
civil rights movement and supported all efforts of
Lincolnville to work with Dr. Martin Luther King. She also
befriended Mrs. Peabody, who came from Massachusetts to
support the movement in St. Augustine. During this time, she
ran for the City Council against six males and, after winning
the primary, finished third in the final election, making her
the first black woman to run for public office. She always
felt a strong commitment to the future of St. Augustine and
wanted to promote racial harmony. A member of one of
Florida's most illustrious families, she was a direct
descendant (through her maternal grandmother, Henrietta
Robinson) of ``The Great Antonio Proctor,'' who was born in
1743 and was the recipient of 185 acres in St. Augustine from
the Spanish Governor of Florida for his work as an
interpreter between the Creek Indians and the Spanish when
Florida was still under Spanish rule.
Mrs. Gordon-Mills' elder years were as filled with activity
as her early years. A woman of intellectual brilliance,
impeccable character and determination, she continued to be
active as a lifetime member of the Board of the Council on
Aging; an officer of the Board of Echo House--a tutoring and
community center she started--and an active member of St.
Cyprian's Episcopal Church, where she was a member of The
Daughters of The King and a member of the Vestry. She was the
active C.E.O. of the family real estate business until the
week of her death, spending each day problem-solving, meeting
with her management crew and ensuring that her tenants and
her properties were well cared for. Her considerable
business acumen was respected by all of the business
people whom she encountered. (She made recent trips to
Tallahassee to meet with the State Historical Society to
present grant requests for her Echo House project).
Her social life was equally active. As a founding member of
the Daytona Beach chapter of the Links, Inc., she attended
meetings and activities regularly and participated in their
many scholarship fund-raising efforts for regional students.
In addition, she administered the scholarship fund set up by
her dear, deceased friend, Mrs. Bemis, of St. Augustine, that
enables deserving and talented students to attend Bethune
Cookman College. She enjoyed the regular gatherings of the
Clique Club and Venetian Club, to which she had belonged for
many years.
Mrs. Gordon-Mills loved her family; her daughter, Dr.
Carlotta Gordon Miles and her son-in-law, attorney Theodore
A. Miles, of Washington, D.C. (Her beloved son, Rudolph N.
Gordon II, predeceased her in 1967.) Her grandchildren were
the loves of her life and she had a special relationship with
each of them--Dr. Wendell Gordon Miles and Miss Lydia
Carlotta Miles, of Washington, D.C., and Mrs. Cecily Miles
Slater and her husband, Ramael Slater, of Hollywood, CA. Her
brother, Dr. Arthur J. Robinson, and his son, Arthur J.
Robinson Jr., of Palm Coast; her sister-in-law Verna C.
Robinson of Washington and her niece, Angela Robinson
Witherspoon, and her husband, John Witherspoon, of Los
Angeles, CA, and her nephew Elbert C. Robinson, of
Washington. Her first cousins, Celestine Nicks of Mandarin,
and Ida Mae Harrison, of Columbus, GA. Her family looked to
her for guidance, advice and as an example of a Christian
life well-lived.
Born into a privileged family, Mrs. Gordon-Mills had a deep
sense of obligation to her fellow man and an unfailing
determination to make a difference with her life. She had a
deep devotion to all children, a strong sense of racial pride
and a commitment to the concept of ``From those to whom much
is given, much is expected.'' Her selflessness and generosity
to others was unequaled. She believed that love should be put
into action and faith in God is the foundation of life.
Mrs. Gordon-Mills was fortunate in having a circle of
loving friends who, in the last years of her life, joined her
family in making these years especially joyful. W.D. McCoy, a
former student and ``son,'' was a devoted and concerned
companion; Dorothy and Rudolph Israel and Maggie and Pat
Patterson were ever present and supportive in whatever she
chose to undertake. Otis and Myrtis Mason made it possible
for her to continue her Links Inc. participation. Father
David Allert and the members of the St. Cyprian's
congregation admired and respected her wisdom and her
spirituality. Arthur Schwecke, her neighbor and ``son;'' and
Joe Logan and Janis Brown, her business manager, helped her
continue her corporate activities. Josephine Quarterman, Lena
Callueng and John Gilbert enabled her to continue to maintain
her household and lifestyle until the end.
[[Page E1111]]
These special friends will always be remembered with
gratitude and deep affection by her family.
____________________