[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 129 (Tuesday, September 4, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1789]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        TRIBUTE TO THE MEMORY OF DR. JEANNETTE A. ALLEN WILLIAMS

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                          HON. DONALD M. PAYNE

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 4, 2007

  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, it is with heartfelt sympathy that I ask my 
colleagues here in the House of Representatives to join me as I rise to 
offer a tribute to the memory of Dr. Jeannette A. Allen Williams. Dr. 
Williams was a remarkable educator and an outstanding role model. With 
her passing on Wednesday, August 22, 2007, our greater community has 
lost one of its more valiant leaders. Fortunately, she leaves a legacy 
that her family, friends and colleagues can recall with a great deal of 
pride.
  Truly, the cities of Newark, Jersey City and Plainfield were blessed 
to have Dr. Williams in their midst as an educator extraordinaire and 
as an administrator who always had the best interest of children at the 
heart of all her initiatives. She was thoughtful, gracious and a 
consummate professional. As a young teacher at West Side High School in 
Newark, Dr. Williams would serve as an inspiration to many of her young 
charges. When she became principal at West Side, she would be the first 
black person to be a high school principal in the City of Newark and as 
a result she raised the bar for all students to realize that they could 
be anything they set their minds to becoming.
  Personally, I knew Dr. Allen for over forty years and was glad to 
have her as a resident in the 10th Congressional District. Not only did 
she believe education was important for herself, having achieved 
advanced degrees but she encouraged her students, nieces, nephews and 
other relatives to strive for academic excellence. From what I know of 
many students touched by her, she was successful in her efforts.
  Madam Speaker, it is my sincere hope that all those who knew and 
loved Dr. Jeannette A. Allen Williams will be able to draw comfort from 
the memories they have of her. I know she will continue to live in 
their hearts. As a Christian woman, I feel confident in saying that 
``it is well with her soul.''

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