[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 150 (Friday, October 16, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2567-E2568]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               A TRIBUTE TO JAMES ``ROCKY'' ROBINSON, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS-

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 16, 2009

  Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of James 
``Rocky'' Robinson, Jr., founder of the Bedford Stuyvesant Volunteer 
Ambulance Corps (BSVAC) and an inspiration to the community of 
Brooklyn.
  James (``Rocky'') Robinson, Jr. was born on July 15, 1940, in 
Marietta, North Carolina, to Betty and James Robinson. When he was 
still an infant, his family moved to Brooklyn, New York, where Rocky 
was raised. After attending Eastern District High School in the 
Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, Rocky served five years in the United 
States Army. His army duty included serving as a member of the Honor 
Guard, posted at the Arlington National Cemetery, where he stood guard 
during the visits of Jackie Kennedy and her children to John F. 
Kennedy's grave.
  After leaving the military, Rocky joined New York City's Emergency 
Medical Service (EMS) where he served the city for more than 30 years, 
before retiring in 2000. His career with EMS was marked by many 
accomplishments. In 1977 he was promoted to Lieutenant, and in 1994 he 
became a Captain. Through his work with EMS, Rocky witnessed the crisis 
in emergency medical services in New York's minority communities. To 
respond to these crises, in 1988 Rocky co-founded the Bedford-
Stuyvesant Volunteer Ambulance Corps (``BSVAC''), America's first 
minority volunteer ambulance corps.
  The remarkable story of Rocky and BSVAC has been told in print, on 
the radio and on television. BSVAC first began operations with no 
ambulance and no volunteers, at a point when the response time in 
Bedford-Stuyvesant for city ambulances averaged about 30 minutes. In 
the beginning, Rocky and his partner, Spec. Joe Perez, responded on 
foot to the calls they heard on their police radio. Eventually, BSVAC 
established a record-breaking ambulance service that has responded to 
over 400 emergency calls a month with an average response time of less 
than four minutes.
  Through BSVAC, Rocky has worked tirelessly to help the Bedford-
Stuyvesant community. Rocky designed a comprehensive emergency medical 
training program including trauma troopers, First Responders, and youth 
corps. To date, thousands of local residents have been trained to save 
lives in emergencies. In addition, hundreds of young people have 
completed the youth corps program (basic EMT training); almost 100% of 
the graduates have become EMTs or have otherwise pursued careers in 
medicine as a nurse, physician's assistant, or doctor. Although he has 
concentrated his efforts on Bed-Stuy, Rocky has reached out to other 
minority communities, from Harlem to Los Angeles, providing emergency 
medical training and assistance in setting up programs. Closer to home, 
in 1993, Rocky responded to the first World Trade Center incident with 
BSVAC; he also responded on 9/11 when BSVAC volunteers saved a 
firefighter's life.
  Rocky's ability to inspire led him to being chosen to address the 
Republican National Convention in Houston, Texas in 1994. For his 
remarkable accomplishments and ongoing efforts, Rocky has received 
numerous awards,

[[Page E2568]]

including: Robin Hood Foundation Hero of the Year Award, New York City 
Award, American Institute for Public Service Jefferson Award, Points of 
Light Award (Awarded by George Bush), and Maxwell House Hero Search 
Award. Among the many honors he has received, Rocky was selected to 
carry the Olympic torch down Fifth Avenue in New York City, en route to 
Atlanta, in 1996. Rocky's status as a hero was even recognized by the 
children of Wilkes Country Elementary School in North Carolina, who 
named him as their black hero in 1998. (Choosing him by a landslide 
over the other candidates, including Michael Jordan). Of all the honors 
and awards that Rocky has earned, he describes his greatest reward as 
the satisfaction he enjoys from seeing young people succeed in medical 
careers after training with BSVAC.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing James 
``Rocky'' Robinson, an ``on-call,'' unselfish community servant.

                          ____________________