[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 106 (Friday, July 29, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S9458]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      A TRIBUTE TO CLARENCE WANZER

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and 
honor Clarence Wanzer, a resident of Coal Branch Heights, Charleston, 
WV, who has devoted his life to leadership and service in his 
community.
  Mr. Wanzer, who will turn 95 on September 4, was born in Charleston, 
WV. In 1919, Mr. Wanzer joined Simpson Church but soon moved to 
Columbus, OH to be raised by his grandmother. Mr. Wanzer did not return 
to Charleston until the 1930s.
  After Mr. Wanzer returned to his birthplace, he took a job with the 
U.S. Postal Service. Later, he purchased a piece of property in Coal 
Branch Heights, a residential community in Charleston. The community 
received its first glimpse of Mr. Wanzer's personal determination and 
conviction when he began construction on his home. Without outside help 
and during his spare time, Mr. Wanzer hand-dug the basement and 
completed construction on his block house.
  Since the 1930s, Mr. Wanzer, working tirelessly to better his 
community, has participated in numerous community organizations. These 
activities have benefited the residents of Charleston and West Virginia 
as a whole.
  In 1950, Mr. Wanzer's life forever changed. He assisted Rev. Ernest 
Smith, a local pastor, by polling the residents of Coal Branch Heights 
as to which Christian denomination they would like to belong. The 
residents chose the Methodist faith, and a developer donated land to 
the Methodist Conference for the construction of a new Methodist 
church.
  Although Mr. Wanzer helped to build St. Stephens Methodist Church, 
the Methodist district superintendent refused him the right to worship 
within the building's walls. At that time, half of Coal Branch Heights' 
population was Black and the other half was White. Mr. Wanzer, an 
African American, was not permitted to worship with St. Stephens' all-
White congregation. In response to this injustice, Mr. Wanzer purchased 
a small parcel of land, and he courageously constructed a second 
building in which all people of color could worship.
  In 1965, the Methodist district superintendent invited Coal Branch 
Heights' Black families, the same families he had once turned away, to 
join the St. Stephens' parish. Mr. Wanzer's family joined St. Stephens 
in 1965, and he was able to enjoy the fruits of his decade-old labor.
  Since 1965, Mr. Wanzer has touched the lives of those around him by 
holding a variety of leadership offices as well as inspiring other 
community members to become activists of the Christian faith. Today, he 
continues to serve his community. He recently, in his early 90s, 
undertook the task of seeking funds to fix a large sinkhole on Twilight 
Street.
  I thank Mr. Wanzer for his unswerving loyalty and dedication to his 
community. Additionally, I wish him good health as he continues to 
serve the people of West Virginia. He serves as an inspiration to all 
of us as he continues to rely on his faith to do good works.

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