[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 55 (Monday, April 19, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2427-S2428]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 489--HONORING THE LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF DR. 
                           BENJAMIN L. HOOKS

  Mr. ALEXANDER (for himself, Mr. Burris, Mr. Corker, Mr. Cardin, Mr. 
Feingold, and Mr. Durbin) submitted the following resolution; which was 
considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 489

       Whereas Benjamin Hooks was born in Memphis, Tennessee on 
     January 31, 1925;
       Whereas Benjamin Hooks died April 15, 2010, at the age of 
     85 in Memphis, Tennessee, and is survived by his wife, 
     Frances Hooks, his daughter, Patricia Gray, and 2 grandsons;
       Whereas Benjamin Hooks was the fifth of 7 children born to 
     Robert B. and Bessie Hooks, and was the grandson of Julia 
     Hooks, the second Black woman in the United States to 
     graduate from college;
       Whereas Benjamin Hooks attended LeMoyne-Owen College in 
     Memphis and, in 1944, graduated from Howard University;
       Whereas Benjamin Hooks joined the United States Army during 
     World War II and was promoted to staff sergeant;
       Whereas in 1948, Benjamin Hooks received his law degree 
     from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois and returned to 
     Memphis, Tennessee to help breakdown segregation;
       Whereas Benjamin Hooks set up his own law practice and was 
     one of a few Blacks practicing law in Memphis from 1949-1965;
       Whereas Benjamin Hooks was appointed to a vacancy on the 
     Shelby County criminal court, by Governor Frank G. Clement in 
     1965, making him the first Black criminal court judge in the 
     history of Tennessee;
       Whereas Benjamin Hooks was a leader in the civil rights 
     movement and joined the Southern Christian Leadership 
     Conference of Reverend Martin Luther King in 1956;
       Whereas Benjamin Hooks became the first Black appointee to 
     the Federal Communications Commission in 1972, when he was 
     appointed by President Richard Nixon, and, in that capacity, 
     worked towards minority employment and involvement in 
     broadcasting;
       Whereas Benjamin Hooks was elected executive director of 
     the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
     People (NAACP) on November 6, 1976, and served in that role 
     until 1992;
       Whereas Benjamin Hooks was an ordained minister and 
     delivered sermons for 52 years at the Greater Middle Baptist 
     Church and as pastor at Greater New Mountain Moriah 
     Missionary Baptist Church in Detroit;
       Whereas Benjamin Hooks was honored in 1996 with the 
     dedication of the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social 
     Change at the University of Memphis, which he helped to 
     create;
       Whereas Benjamin Hooks and Francis Hooks renewed their 
     wedding vows on March 24, 2001, after almost 50 years of 
     marriage;
       Whereas in November 2007, Benjamin Hooks was awarded the 
     Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in 
     the United States, by President George W. Bush; and
       Whereas the passing of Benjamin Hooks is a great loss: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the outstanding contributions of Dr. 
     Benjamin L. Hooks to the civil rights movement, the ministry, 
     his family, and the community of Memphis, Tennessee; and

[[Page S2428]]

       (2) pays tribute to Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks, his passion for 
     life, dedication to service, and commitment to equality.

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