[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 134 (Tuesday, September 11, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1865]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING GEORGE BURROWS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 11, 2007

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
George Burrows, Sr. whose hard work and determination have resulted in 
the revitalization of the Sistrunk Boulevard corridor in Ft. 
Lauderdale, FL. This once-blighted neighborhood is now the pride of Ft. 
Lauderdale's African-American community.
  Born in 1926, George Burrows grew up in the segregated Jim Crow 
south. He was one of 14 children raised by his Bahamian immigrant 
parents. After serving in the Marines during World War II, George 
returned to Ft. Lauderdale. Using the G.I. Bill, he attended Bethune-
Cookman College where, after sampling several vocational courses, he 
decided to study electronics. In 1948, he earned his Associate of Arts 
degree in electronics, and soon after received his state certification 
as a licensed master electrician.
  Madam Speaker, with only electrical wire, government-issued tools, 
and a used bicycle with front and rear baskets, George Burrows embarked 
on a career that has spanned more than five decades. He fought bravely 
against a segregated system that limited his services to Colored Town 
and went on to great success in the electrical business. The day before 
his alma mater Dillard High School was to play an important football 
game, its field still had no lights. George Burrows came to the rescue, 
installing lights on the field and saving the day.
  One of his proudest accomplishments is his longtime involvement with 
the Black Chamber of Commerce, formerly the Negro Chamber of Commerce. 
George's work with the Chamber led to minority businesses obtaining 
contracts with the Hollywood-Ft. Lauderdale International Airport and 
Port Everglades. George and his devoted wife of more than 50 years, 
Agnes, have raised four children, all of whom are graduates of 
historically black colleges. One admirer of his business, Burrows 
Electric, recently called him ``number one in the business'' and ``a 
consummate professional.''
  Madam Speaker, even Ft. Lauderdale City Commissioner Carlton Moore, 
who grew up in the Sistrunk Boulevard district, lauded George Burrows' 
achievement as a role model in the community. Commissioner Moore has 
noted that George ``created a business that provided business 
opportunities to those who were locked out by the system.'' George 
Burrows' advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to ``get an education.'' 
With an education, he says, ``one can do anything they want in the 
field they choose.'' George Burrows is living proof of that. We all owe 
this great man an enormous debt of gratitude for what he has done to 
make his neighborhood, his city, and our world a better place. He is 
truly someone of whom we can all be very proud.

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