[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 117 (Tuesday, September 19, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1751]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO BERNICE KING-HILL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 19, 2006

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, it was with deep 
sadness that I learned of the passing of Mrs. Bernice King-Hill on July 
18, 2006. For more than 30 years Bernice ``Bea'' King-Hill faithfully 
served the community of her church and the city of Richmond, 
California. For her church group, Mrs. Hill was a social worker and 
teacher of great capacity and compassion. For the people of Richmond 
and Contra Costa County, she was a dedicated leader who gave of herself 
to the community with sincerity, commitment, and strength.
  Bernice Hill was born on August 31, 1924, in Mobile, Alabama, and 
raised, along with her four siblings and their nine cousins, by the 
late Joe West and Georgia King-West. For her advanced degree, Mrs. Hill 
attended the Nannie H. Burroughs Religious School in Washington, DC, 
and the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. By 1955, Mrs. Hill had 
moved to Oakland, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area and begun 
what was to be a 30-year career of service. Since 1955, Mrs. Hill 
worked for our community in the various capacities of service, 
education, non-profit work, administration, and religious counsel.
  For 5 years, Mrs. Hill owned and operated B-Nolas Fine Foods which 
served the schools and the medical centers in the community of 
Berkeley. Since then, Mrs. Hill held many different positions within 
the community beginning with her work as founder and director of the 
non-profit Senior Extension Center in Richmond, California. She was 
also a manager for the Contra Costa County nutrition program for 
several years during this period. Mrs. Hill served on the Advisory 
Council for Aging as well as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Ladies 
Auxiliary, 761st Tank Battalion, Post 8399, for which she was the 
president.
  More recently, Bernice Hill served on the Board of Children's Council 
in Richmond, California, and as the Administrative Assistant to Senior 
Legislators of California under Carolyn Ashe Stokes. Mrs. Hill was also 
the Chairperson of the Progressive District Association and Senior 
Citizen Department as well as a teacher for the California State 
Baptist Convention.
  During these many years, Mrs. Hill pursued her religious service with 
the same devotion and selflessness that marked her professional work. 
Her service to the religious community at the Bethlehem Missionary 
Baptist Church included passionate and dedicated work as a teacher for 
the church's Sunday School, the Baptist Training Union, and the Ester 
Circle of the General Missionary Society.
  Throughout her many years of service to the people of our district, 
Mrs. Hill maintained her direction and independence. She was 
hardworking with a unique honesty and heart yet she was never afraid to 
challenge those who sought to exploit her or her effort. She believed 
in self-responsibility and forgiveness and she not only built her work 
on these values, but also inspired them in others. Her goddaughters 
Leona Sims and Nola Pyle are fine examples of her commitment and 
integrity. Her home will go to the Senior Extension Center to continue 
her legacy.
  To Bernice Hill's family and friends, I extend my heartfelt 
condolences. Their loss is shared not only by those who knew Mrs. Hill 
but also by all those who have been touched by the work she has done. 
We will be forever grateful for the courage, compassion, and integrity 
with which she sought to make our community, and our country, a better 
place for all of us. We are so grateful to Mrs. Hill's family and 
church for sharing her with us for so many years.

                          ____________________