[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 185 (Wednesday, December 5, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2499]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CELEBRATING JAMAICA THROUGH THE LIFE AND TIMES OF NATIVE SON HERB 
                                McKENLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 5, 2007

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to salute one of Jamaica's 
favorite sons, Herb McKenley--a world-class track star whose awe-
inspiring athletic feats filled the streets of Jamaica with pride. 
Noted as one of the island's greatest athletes ever, McKenley brought 
home an Olympic gold medal in 1952 as part of the country's relay team. 
A man of limitless determination and impressive humility--once claiming 
that his running philosophy was to simply ``run as fast as I can, as 
long as I can''--McKenley set a slew of world records and earned myriad 
accolades to his name. His recent passing marks the culmination of a 
life spent sprinting towards goal after goal, and reaching every one of 
them.
  New York fans were treated to the sight of the 6-foot-1 dynamo 
whizzing down the indoor tracks at the old Madison Square Garden for 
the Millrose Games. He set the then-world record for a 440-yard sprint 
in 1947, finishing it in 46.3 seconds at a time when tracks were clay 
or dirt--not the artificial surfaces of today. His second world record 
was set a year later, when he ran 440 yards in 45.9 seconds. He nabbed 
a Silver Medal in the 1948 London Olympics and two more in the 1952 
Olympics in Helsinki, missing the gold in all three to heartbreaking, 
photo finishes. The powerfully built man with an 8-foot stride is 
forever memorialized in Jamaica by the Herb McKenley Crescent, and not 
long before his passing, he was awarded its third highest honor, the 
Order of Merit.
  His life's achievements read as one amorous letter to his native 
Jamaica. Born in the city of Clarendon on July 10, 1922, he sometimes 
skipped the bus after discovering that running got him places faster. 
One of those places was to college, when he became the first Jamaican 
sprinter to receive a college scholarship in the United States for the 
University of Illinois. After racking up his world-renowned honors, he 
coached Jamaica's national team for 20 years, between 1954 and 1973, 
and served as president of Jamaica's Amateur Athletic Association for 
12. A celebration of his life is, ultimately, a celebration of Jamaica, 
and the permanent stamp it has left on the cultural, athletic, and 
historic narrative of the world.
  It is in the spirit of great mourning but also of great pride that we 
commemorate his legacy. He has forever etched his story into the 
Jamaican consciousness, impressing upon us New York track fans the 
strength in being unapologetically persistent and passionate.

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