[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 77 (Tuesday, May 19, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H5721]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING THE REVEREND JOHN PRATT

  (Mr. TOWNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TOWNS. I rise to talk about the passing of Rev. John Pratt of the 
Zion Shiloh Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York. He pastored that 
church for 30 years. John Pratt is going to be missed in the Borough of 
Brooklyn. He was the kind of person that was always involved in 
community efforts. Whatever you needed to have done, John Pratt was a 
person that you could count on. Not only that, he was unusual in many 
ways, because you could talk to him and, of course, he wouldn't call a 
press conference on you. You just could have a discussion with him and 
then he would do whatever it was, and you didn't have to worry about 
him calling a big press conference to let the world know that you had 
asked him to do something.
  He was the kind of person that was able to pull people together. He 
was a coalition builder. We are going to miss John and his coalition 
skills because he could talk to anybody at any point in any time. And 
that was the thing that he was able to do so well.
  I will never forget that when my mother passed, how John was there on 
behalf of my family. So let me say to the Pratt family that you have my 
support in every way. If there is anything I can do, just let me know. 
I would be delighted to do it, because he was there for me, and I want 
to be there for you.

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