[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 88 (Tuesday, June 28, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1387]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN MEMORY OF WESLEY SCOTT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 28, 2005

  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and 
celebrate the life of an esteemed advocate for equality, Mr. Wesley 
Scott. Mr. Scott, a longtime leader in the civil rights movement in 
Milwaukee, died May 28, 2005, at the age of 88.
  The oldest of 18 children, Wesley Scott came of age in an 
impoverished community of West Virginia coal miners. After earning his 
B.A. from Xavier University in New Orleans in 1942, Mr. Scott went on 
to serve his country, fighting in the South Pacific during WWII. Upon 
returning home he continued his education, receiving his Masters degree 
from Ohio State University in 1950. By 1951, he was serving as 
Executive Director of the Massillon, Ohio, Urban League.
  In 1958, Mr. Scott assumed the position of deputy executive director 
of the Milwaukee Urban League. Within a year he was promoted to 
executive director, a position he held for 23 years. At the helm of the 
Milwaukee Urban League, Mr. Scott distinguished himself with a dynamic 
yet dignified style of leadership. His contemporaries lauded his 
unflagging commitment to the advancement of African-Americans and poor 
people. He is credited with building bridges between white and black 
communities, seeking out opportunities for progress in a very difficult 
and often turbulent environment. Under his leadership, the Milwaukee 
Urban League became a premier organization in the fight for civil 
rights.
  Even after leaving the Milwaukee Urban League, Mr. Scott continued to 
work for racial equality. As an advisor to the Metropolitan Milwaukee 
Association of Commerce, he helped open new doors for African-Americans 
in the corporate world, ensuring the development of a new class of 
African-American professionals in Milwaukee. He also worked on behalf 
of African-American businesses, advocating for stronger mechanisms to 
ensure that disadvantaged business enterprises would benefit from the 
construction of Miller Park.
  Throughout his life, Wesley Scott was a tireless advocate for 
equality. Earlier this year, the Milwaukee Urban League announced plans 
to honor his legacy by transforming its headquarters into the Wesley L. 
Scott Senior Living Community. I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to salute Mr. 
Scott for his commitment to advancing equality and to celebrate the 
life he dedicated to serving our community.

                          ____________________