[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 5, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E762]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING MRS. MARY WILLIAMS WOODARD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 5, 2010

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the late 
Mrs. Mary Williams Woodard, a constituent in my Congressional District 
and a beloved and dedicated public servant who tirelessly devoted her 
efforts to the well-being of our nation's most important asset, our 
children, as a valued educator of the Miami-Dade County community and 
beyond.
  Mrs. Woodard was born to the late Lewis Williams and Lettie Delegol 
Williams on August 11, 1926 in Jacksonville, Florida. She was the 
fourth of eight children. Her family settled in DeFuniak Springs in the 
Florida Panhandle near the Florida-Alabama border. After graduating 
from Tivoli High School, she furthered her education at Florida 
Agricultural & Mechanical University and obtained a Bachelor's Degree 
in Physical Education. In college, she was a cheerleader and a member 
of the Orchesis Dance Club. She also met her life partner, Dr. Arthur 
E. Woodward, to whom she would be married for more than 58 years.
  She began her professional career once she returned to her hometown 
and taught at her alma mater, Tivoli High School, which was the only K-
12 school in Walton County for African-Americans. Mrs. Woodard taught 
physical education and English, and was noted for exposing students to 
various cultural activities. Many of her students became physicians, 
lawyers, educators, and entrepreneurs. Several students maintained 
communication with her until her transition. Integration of Florida's 
public schools and the Florida Teacher Walkout of 1968 forced Mary and 
her husband to relocate their family to Miami-Dade County.
  Once in Miami, she began to work for the Miami-Dade County Public 
School System at Allapattah Elementary School as a physical education 
teacher. She later served as a guidance counselor at several schools 
and retired while at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in 1994.
  In an effort to compliment her professional achievements, Mrs. 
Woodard was involved with various organizations such as the Twin Lakes-
North Shore Gardens Homeowners Association; the Gamma Zeta Omega 
Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated; the Florida A&M 
University National Alumni Association, as well as the Miami-Dade 
Chapter; the Rattler ``F'' Club; and New Birth Baptist Church. She also 
frequently marched and protested for civil rights for African-Americans 
and equal treatment of Haitian immigrants.
  Madam Speaker, I ask you and all the members of this esteemed 
legislative body to join me in recognizing the extraordinary life and 
accomplishments of Mrs. Mary Williams Woodard. I am honored to pay 
tribute to Mrs. Woodard for her invaluable services and tireless 
dedication to the South Florida educational community. Her life was a 
triumph and she was blessed with a loving family who took pleasure in 
every aspect of her life and her interests. She will be missed by all 
who knew her, and I appreciate this opportunity to pay tribute to her 
before the United States House of Representatives.

                          ____________________