[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 129 (Thursday, October 6, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2018]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING BEATRICE JOYCE ELLINGTON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 6, 2005

  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to acknowledge and 
honor Beatrice Joyce Ellington who recently passed away on August 1, 
2005.
  I have known her since 1980. She was a remarkable person. In fact, if 
more people just acted as she did, our world would be a better place.
  Joyce became the first African American woman to head the San Jose 
Public Library Commission in 1980. In 1974, Joyce successfully argued 
before the San Jose Unified School District Board and the City Council 
that vacant land, a valuable commodity in San Jose where a single-
family home can easily cost over a half-million dollars, should be used 
for a library, instead of being sold. Joyce was recognized for her 
tenacity in pushing for the library in 2002 when the City Council was 
persuaded by her neighbors and the community at large to overlook the 
City's rule not to name a public building after a person still alive. 
At that time, the Empire Library was renamed to the Joyce Ellington 
branch library.
  In addition to her accomplishments with the library, Mrs. Ellington 
was a founder in 1965 of the Northside Neighborhood Association, the 
oldest of its kind in the City of San Jose. Perhaps the greatest 
tribute to Joyce was her ability to gather community members of all 
races, creeds and religions to work together toward a common purpose in 
the community. The Northside community, where Joyce lived and did her 
service, is also one of the most diverse communities in California with 
neighbors, friends and families with roots in Africa, Japan, the 
Philippines, Mexico and elsewhere.
  When I attended the service for Joyce, stories abounded of not only 
her community service, but also of her welcoming heart and home.
  Joyce was the sort of person who, when she saw a problem simply took 
responsibility to be part of the solution. That's why she led the 
effort to establish a lighting district so that the northside 
neighborhood could have street lights. That's why she looked after her 
neighbors. It's why she cared about literacy. It wasn't enough that her 
own children were readers and getting a good education. She understood 
that it was also important for all the children in her community to 
love reading and books. She is most certainly a dearly missed community 
leader, friend and teacher. She not only taught us lessons of service, 
but also opened the doors for us to teach ourselves at the library so 
aptly named after her.

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