[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 22, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1112]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING REVEREND FREDERICK ``JERRY'' STREETS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 22, 2007

  Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise 
today to join the many family, friends, and community leaders who have 
gathered to pay tribute to one of New Haven's most outstanding 
religious leaders and one of my friends, Reverend Frederick ``Jerry'' 
Streets. There is no doubt that Reverend Streets has touched the lives 
of many in the Yale community and beyond. Though he will be missed, the 
legacy he leaves will continue to inspire others for years to come.
  Today marks the end of an era as we bid farewell to a real community 
treasure. Reverend Streets, the first African-American and Baptist to 
hold the position of University chaplain, will conclude 15 years of 
service to Yale since being appointed to this position in 1992. Under 
the University's term limit rules for chaplaincy, he must now pass on 
his legacy to a newly appointed chaplain. Reverend Streets' commitment 
to service through religious leadership has been unwavering and his 
involvement, not only with his chaplaincy and pastoral duties at Yale, 
but with his congregation at University Church, has been essential to 
its spiritual growth and prosperity. He expanded the multi-faith 
dialogue at Yale and had a deep sense of his social responsibility to 
the surrounding residents of the New Haven community.
  During his tenure, Reverend Streets did spear-head a rapid growth of 
religious diversity within the student population. His natural 
gravitation toward tolerance for all ethnicities and religious freedoms 
began as a boy growing up on the South Side of Chicago. Here, amid much 
diversity, he learned the need for acceptance of others which shaped 
his character and influenced his professional life. Perhaps best known 
for his development of Yale's undergraduate multi-faith council--a 
group with faiths ranging from Protestant to Baha'i--he promoted 
discussions between students of different faiths and helped other 
chaplains to grasp an understanding of a diverse student population.
  In addition to his work in our community, Reverend Streets has 
represented Yale across the globe by lecturing or presenting workshops 
on issues of global justice and mental health. He has traveled 
worldwide to places such as Bosnia, Cuba, and West Africa, and served 
as a delegate to the first global conference of religious leaders to 
convene at the United Nations.
  As a spiritual guide, he has nourished the souls of many--often 
providing much needed comfort in the hardest of personal trials. It was 
evident through his work that he had a strong devotion and compassion 
to helping many Yale students restore their faith and bring a sense of 
balance back to their lives. There is no better example of living faith 
with commitment and dignity. He will be sorely missed and we cannot 
thank him enough.
  It is with great pride that I stand today to join his wife Annette, 
his children, family, friends, and the Yale community to extend my 
deepest thanks and appreciation to Reverend Jerry Streets for all of 
the good work he has done. May God bless him and keep him well as he 
continues in his mission of peace, compassion, hope and tolerance.

                          ____________________