[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 3, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E191-E192]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING MR. GERALD BORDERS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 3, 2009

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, today I rise to 
celebrate the milestone of a long time friend of mine, Mr. Gerald 
Borders. On January 20, 2009 Gerald Borders of Dallas, Texas retired, 
completing a 44 year career with Texas Instruments. Mr. Borders' career 
spanned a remarkable amount of change. In 1963, when he began his 
career as a contractor, Dallas suffered from segregated schools, public 
accommodations and facilities--including within Texas Instrument plant 
sites. He choose to coincide his retirement on the day of the 
Inauguration of Barak Obama, our Nation's first African-American 
President.
  I know that Mr. Borders thoroughly enjoyed his opportunities with 
Texas Instruments, in particular the time he spent as a full-time 
loaned executive to Paul Quinn College, a historically black college in 
the southern sector of Dallas. His time with Paul Quinn lead to a 
passion that would define the later phase of his career: education and 
economic development in the within that same southern sector in Dallas. 
One of Mr. Borders many projects mobilized tens of thousands of 
volunteer tutoring in Dallas's public schools. Mr. Borders was a 
tireless advocate of the Dallas Together Forum, which leveraged the 
purchasing power of major corporations toward economic inclusion for 
minority and women owned businesses. He conceived of and administered 
the Texas Instruments Community Involvement Team, which commits 
philanthropic resources to diversity initiatives for investment in 
neighborhood non-profits. He is a tireless volunteer for the United Way 
of Metropolitan Dallas and among other roles, serves as chairman of 
their African American Leaders Society.
  Mr. Borders' knowledge, communications skills and leadership ability 
made him a highly sought after business leader by elected officials. 
For the past 15 years, I have requested that he host my Brain Trust 
Summit in Washington DC with the Congressional Black Caucus--an event 
that highlights the challenges and opportunities of science, 
engineering and math education within the African American community 
nationwide.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in wishing Mr. Gerald Borders a well 
deserved retirement and a joyful and fulfilling future.

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