[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 160 (Wednesday, December 14, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2534-E2535]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO HARRIET G. SIMPSON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 14, 2005

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a former 
professional colleague and dear personal friend Harriet G. Simpson. 
Mrs. Simpson is a dedicated educator and devoted community activist, 
who is being honored Sunday, December 18, 2005 by the Charleston, South 
Carolina community and her home church, Mt. Zion AME.
  I came to know Mrs. Simpson when I took my first job out of college 
as a Social Studies teacher in the Charleston, South Carolina public 
school system. She was one of the leaders in that school system who 
recognized my leadership potential at an early stage in my development. 
She became a mentor and one of my most ardent supporters.
  Throughout her life, Mrs. Simpson has dedicated herself to the 
betterment of her community, and has received numerous recognitions for 
her work. They include, Delta Woman of the Year by Delta Sigma Theta 
Sorority, the Public Service Award from the Alpha Chi Pi Omega 
Sorority, and the Omega Service Award by the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. 
Also, Arabian Court No. 128 recognized Mrs. Simpson as Outstanding 
Female Community Worker, and she was a semi-finalist for the 
Certificate of Achievement as a Role Model from the National Council of 
Negro Women. She has also been recognized for her achievements by the 
South Carolina State Senate, and the Moja Arts Festival bestowed upon 
her an Award for Contribution to Education. Former Charleston Mayor 
Palmer Gilliard gave Mrs. Simpson the ``Key to the City,'' and Channel 
5 Television Station inducted her into its Hall of Fame.
  Mrs. Simpson's dedication to her community has manifested itself 
through her love of education and her deep and abiding religious faith. 
She has been nominated for as Teacher of the Year at C.A. Brown High 
School, where I had the privilege of working with her for three years, 
and received the Human Relations

[[Page E2535]]

Award from the South Carolina Education Association. She was named 
Woman of the Year by her home Church Mt. Zion AME in 1987 and 1991. The 
Charleston Area Women's Missionary Society also chose Mrs. Simpson for 
their Outstanding Service Award.
  Mrs. Simpson continues to make significant contributions to her 
community. She established the Harriet F. Simpson Scholarship Fund to 
help deserving students get a college education. She continues to 
support students while they are in college with financial help, letters 
of comfort, and small gifts, and helps them find jobs. She was a 
founding member of the Moja Arts Festival Committee, and has donated 
artifacts to the Avery Institute. Although she isn't a wealthy woman, 
Mrs. Simpson contributes generously to the National Heart Association, 
the American Cancer Society and to Alzheimer's research. And she 
continues a ministry of calling and writing the sick and shut-in from 
her church and those that have moved away from Charleston.
  Mrs. Simpson earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education from Allen 
University, and a Masters degree in Education and Guidance from South 
Carolina State University, and did post-graduate work at North Carolina 
Central University. Mrs. Simpson has been a devoted wife for 55 years, 
and is the proud mother of two children. Her family is blessed with two 
grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She is a loving friend and 
caring sister, aunt and godmother.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in thanking 
Harriet G. Simpson for her lifetime of devotion to education and her 
community. She is a shining example of how one person can make a 
tremendous difference an entire community. I commend Mrs. Simpson for 
her significant contributions and thank her church family at Mt. Zion 
AME Church for recognizing her.

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