[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 116 (Wednesday, July 29, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8267-S8268]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

                                 ______
                                 

                75TH BIRTHDAY OF REUBEN K. HARPOLE, JR.

 Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, today I honor Reuben K. Harpole, 
Jr.--a man who has changed countless lives in Wisconsin through his 
selfless devotion to helping people.
  Reuben developed an entrepreneurial spirit growing up in Milwaukee. 
His family worked at the family grocery store, sold their home-raised 
chickens in the front yard, and rented out bicycles. This work ethic 
went with him throughout his life. He went on to serve our Nation in 
Korea from 1957 to 1959. Then he came back home, earned his bachelor's 
degree, and began his professional life as a teacher and community 
activist.
  With 31 years service to University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and 
continued community activism, Reuben helped mold the future of 
Wisconsin. In the 1960s Reuben began working to direct youth away from 
gangs into fruitful career paths. When central Milwaukee's health 
services were shutting down in the 1970s, Reuben worked with local, 
county, and university officials to reinstate much needed assistance. 
He helped establish the Isaac Coggs Health Center and a coalition of 
neighborhood health organizations. Reuben also founded or developed the 
College Prep Program at Marquette University High School, the UWM 
Center for Urban Community Development, the

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Harambee Ombudsman Program, and the Children's Performing Arts Group 
that has evolved into the renowned Ko Thi Dance Company.
  Reuben has also been an outstanding advocate for our African-American 
community in Milwaukee. He has written forewords for several books 
about African-American history in Milwaukee. He voluntarily conducts 
tours of Black Milwaukee, which brings a real-life perspective to his 
work in African-American history. A multitude of African-American 
programs and organizations are indebted to his service including the 
NTU African Rites of Passage Program, the Asentu Adult Rites of Passage 
Institute, the Black Holocaust Museum, and the Milwaukee 100 Black Men 
Group. In fact, it was on Reuben's invitation to a gathering that I met 
with Martin Luther King, Jr., during one of his few visits to Milwaukee 
many years ago.
  Even after retirement, he continues to be a great leader in the 
community. Most notably, he joined the Helen Bader Foundation. Through 
this he is able to help programs and centers secure the funds they need 
to function and more successfully serve the community.
  The work he has done for Milwaukee continues to grow as the many 
people he has inspired are starting to follow in his footsteps. I would 
like to specifically note the Volunteer Reading Tutoring Program at the 
UWM Reading Clinic. A truly great person is one who not only does great 
works but also inspires other to do so as well.
  I am proud to call Reuben a fellow Wisconsite and a dear friend. I 
wish him and his lovely wife Mildred good health, happiness, and many 
more years to come.

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