[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 5, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E763-E764]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF HARLEM'S BELOVED TRAILBLAZING PIONEER J. BRUCE 
                            LLEWELLYN, ESQ.

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 5, 2010

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, today I rise to ask my colleagues to take 
some time out to remember one of Harlem's and this nation's greatest 
citizens, James Bruce Llewellyn, Esq., who passed away Friday, April 9, 
2010 at the age of 82.
  Just like Percy Ellis Sutton, Lt. Colonel Lee A. Archer and Jimmy E. 
Booker, Sr., Bruce was a giant among men, a trailblazer not just in the 
fields of business and broadcasting, but in combating the stereotypical 
image of African Americans as not prepared for or capable

[[Page E764]]

of success. And while he found wealth by knocking down the previously 
closed doors of corporate America, he never forgot that the biggest 
impact that any person can have is in the social and philanthropic 
contributions they make to society.
  Bruce never stood alone because he never worked alone, building 
coalitions across industries from sports to finance to government well 
into his last days on this great earth. As one of the cofounders of our 
100 Black Men organization, of which I am also a founding member, Bruce 
proved that success for our community was to be measured not just by 
how high one of us got, but by how many of us were occupying seats and 
positions of power and prestige.
  Like myself, Bruce was a man of humble beginnings, born of Jamaican 
parents in East Harlem just before the onset of the Great Depression. 
He worked from an early age doing whatever he could to make a 
contribution, from selling books and magazines to helping his father in 
his restaurant business.
  His contributions extended to that of serving his country bravely 
with distinction, discipline and courage. Bruce enlisted in the Army at 
the young age of 16 years old after his graduating from high school and 
eventually becoming the youngest officer in his battalion. And while he 
eventually left the military, he never truly left public service. He 
went on to serve on the boards of various non-profits and government 
agencies; advising Presidents from Jimmy Carter to William Jefferson 
Clinton to Barack Obama.
  Bruce was also a fellow life member comrade of our prestigious Harlem 
Hellfighters' 369th Veterans' Association. For many years, Bruce 
marched the troops up New York's Fifth Avenue during our Annual 369th 
Veterans' Association Parade in Memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 
He loved the 369th and he cared deeply about the contributions made by 
black veterans of all wars.
  Like myself, he took the opportunities afforded to him by the GI Bill 
to get an education, first attending City College and then eventually 
earning a law degree from New York Law School in 1960. Yet while he 
displayed a talent for the law, no one field could ever rein him in, 
mixing in business and media before the word mogul was ever 
popularized.
  As the legal barriers of the Civil Rights Era gave way to the 
economic challenges of the 1970s, Bruce led the way in helping prove 
that investing in the black community could be a key cog in any 
profitable financial strategy. When no one thought he could, he 
successfully brought together a group of partners to buy majority share 
of the Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company, paving the way to 
larger financial transaction deals by African Americans and other 
people of color.
  Our beloved entrepreneur and gladiator, Bruce Llewellyn, leaves this 
earth too soon, and at a time when our economy has been pushed to the 
brink of collapse, we could certainly use not only his skill and 
vision, but his unstoppable energy and drive. For his family and loved 
ones, I do hope that you and your family can find comfort in the great 
legacy he left not just for his community, but all Americans throughout 
this great nation. We loved him because he never stopped believing in 
the great potential that is instilled within all of us. Bruce showed us 
that we didn't have to accept a second-class status, but we all sure 
aspire to soar as kings and queens in whatever arena and whatever 
position we choose to occupy.
  Madam Speaker, I consider myself fortunate to have had the 
opportunity to observe and experience his example as a personal 
inspiration. Though Bruce is no longer with us, we will continue to 
keep his memory alive in our hearts and minds, and continue to honor 
his legacy with our advocacy for the issues he cared about the most. We 
are all blessed to have known James Bruce Llewellyn, Esq., a titan of a 
man whose corporate strength gave us all life.

                          ____________________