[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 7, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E839]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        EDUCATOR DOROTHY INGRAM

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 7, 2008

  Mr. POE. Madam Speaker, today I am proud to pay tribute to the late 
Dorothy Ingram.
  Ms. Ingram, a graduate of Lincoln High School in Port Arthur, Texas, 
started working in schools during summers, even before she earned her 
undergraduate degree. After obtaining a bachelor's degree from Bishop 
College in 1936, she went to Prairie View A&M University, earned a 
Master of Arts Degree, and went on to become a woman of many firsts, 
including the first African-American fellow of George Peabody 
University.
  Ms. Ingram participated in and made notable contributions to 
organizations in the Golden Triangle and in the State of Texas, 
receiving honors too numerous to list in their entirety. She taught at 
Lamar Elementary School, and in 1952, she was the first African-
American woman in Port Arthur to become Principal of George Washington 
Carver Elementary School. Many of her former teachers remember her as a 
strong disciplinarian who ran a tough shift at school. She insisted on 
the highest standards for staff and students. She believed that 
children should learn and that it was the responsibility of teachers to 
make it happen. She encouraged students and teachers to keep climbing 
and to make a difference.
  Helping organize the Port Arthur Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta 
Sorority, Ms. Ingram became its first President. In 1965, one year 
after Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc. was organized in Tyler, Texas, 
Lady Ingram, with four other ladies, became charter members of the new 
Golden Triangle Chapter, and Ingram was again the first President. She 
was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame; was Zeta Phi Beta 
Sorority's Woman of the Year; the Martin Luther King Support Group's 
Woman of the Year; and in Dallas, she was inducted into the Museum of 
African Life and Culture in 1968.
  Ms. Ingram served as Principal of Pease and Wheatley Elementary 
Schools from 1972 to 1975, and was the first woman to become President 
of the Black Principals and Supervisors of Texas, and the Southeast 
Texas District Teachers Association.
  In 1998, Ms. Ingram became Port Arthur's first and only Centennial 
Queen, celebrating the town's charter; and in 2000, she was Woman of 
the Year by Quota International of Southeast Texas. Her memberships 
included the Jefferson County Historical Commission; Democratic Women 
of Jefferson County; American Red Cross; Texas Senior Citizens' 
Association; and AAU President.
  She was choir director and organist for the Imperial Radio Choir, 
which was broadcast over KTRM 990, and Ms. Ingram served as a musician 
for fifty years at Sixth Street (now Mt. Sinai) Baptist Church. The Boy 
Scouts of America honored her with the Silver Fawn Medal; and the 
National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women's Clubs 
honored her with the Sojourner Truth National Meritorious award.
  Ms. Dorothy Ingram was a very dynamic person with a beautiful 
personality. She was a hard worker and believed everyone else should 
work hard. She insisted that everyone do the best at whatever they 
endeavored. She loved music, and she loved people, which is why she 
remained so active in the community well into her 90's.
  Madam Speaker, Ms. Dorothy Ingram was a pioneer in education, and an 
incredible role model. She served and enhanced her community of Port 
Arthur, TX for more than sixty years, and I am proud to celebrate her 
accomplishments, and the legacy that she leaves behind.

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