[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 137 (Monday, September 17, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S11576]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO CURTIS H. SYKES

 Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, I rise to honor the life of a 
great Arkansan, Curtis H. Sykes, who passed away last week.
  As a member of the Special Task Force to Study the History and 
Contributions of Slave Laborers in the Construction of the U.S. 
Capitol, Mr. Sykes made valuable contributions to the important and 
challenging work that the task force conducted. As its name indicates, 
the purpose of the task force is to recognize and preserve the 
contributions that African Americans made to the construction of the 
Capitol complex. The task force has served as a working memorial to pay 
tribute to those who made an enormous sacrifice to help build the 
greatest symbol of our Nation's freedom. I was pleased that the task 
force was developed to include citizen representation, and Curtis Sykes 
was an integral part of helping us examine those contributions.
  In addition to his work on the task force, Curtis Sykes was also an 
accomplished historian and respected community leader in Arkansas. Mr. 
Sykes served as chairman of the Arkansas Black History Committee since 
1993 and was the first African-American member of the North Little Rock 
History Commission. He brought a wealth of experience to the study of 
our great State's history and was an advocate for equality, fairness, 
and justice.
  Shortly after his graduation from the segregated Scipio A. Jones High 
School, located in his hometown of North Little Rock, in 1947, Curtis 
served our Nation in the U.S. Army from 1950 to 1952. He then pursued a 
lifelong career in education.
  Prior to retiring in 1985, Curtis worked for 33 years in education as 
a teacher, football coach, assistant principal and principal. He was 
one of the first African-American principals in the Little Rock school 
district during the 1960s, and after his life in education, he led the 
fight to pass legislation in the Arkansas General Assembly which 
established a Black history curriculum in Arkansas schools.
  He also continued to pursue his passion to help young children learn 
and succeed after retirement through his work in a number of civic and 
community organizations. His activities included offices in the 
Arkansas Chapter of the NAACP, the Young YMCA/COPE of Central Arkansas 
and Headstart of Pulaski County.
  Mr. Sykes earned his bachelor's degree from Arkansas Baptist College 
in Little Rock, Arkansas; a master's from Texas College in Tyler, 
Texas; and his master's in education from Harding University in Searcy, 
AR. In fact, he became the first African American to receive a degree 
from Harding in 1962.
  In addition, Mr. Sykes received a number of honors and awards during 
his lifetime. He was the recipient of the Salute to Greatness Award 
from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission for his outstanding record 
of community service. He was also recognized by the city of North 
Little Rock when Mayor Patrick Hays declared a Curtis Sykes Day in 1992 
to honor his many contributions to the city.
  Curtis H. Sykes will be greatly missed by communities all across 
Arkansas, as well as those he worked with here in Washington, DC. He 
had an impact on thousands of people from all walks of life, and his 
death will leave a void throughout Arkansas.
  He will not be forgotten, however. The Arkansas History Commission 
contains the Curtis H. Sykes Collection which includes Scipio High 
yearbooks, past Arkansas Teacher Association journals, and other North 
Little Rock memorabilia and documents which will enable future 
generations to learn about his life and legacy.
  In the weeks and months ahead, our thoughts and prayers will be with 
friends and family of the Sykes as they grieve the loss of a true 
Arkansas pioneer.

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