[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 5, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H3174]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO DONALD SPENCER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Driehaus) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DRIEHAUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of 
Cincinnati's great citizens, Donald Spencer.
  Donald Spencer's philosophy in life was, ``When you leave this world, 
it should be better because you have lived.'' He certainly made this 
world a better place. Donald Spencer lived life to the fullest and 
touched many as a community leader, a teacher, and a real estate 
broker. He was born March 5, 1915, and he died yesterday, May 4, 2010.
  Donald Spencer was the first African American real estate broker with 
the Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors, but teaching never left his 
blood. A life-long resident of Cincinnati, he helped pave the way for 
African Americans in education, as well as real estate, during his 
career.
  Having graduated from Walnut Hills High School before earning his 
bachelor's degree and master's degree from the University of Cincinnati 
by 1940, Mr. Spencer embarked on an 18-year teaching career at 
Douglass, Stowe and Bloom junior high schools.
  He opened his real estate office concurrently with the last 6 years 
of teaching. Five years later, he was well-established as Donald A. 
Spencer and Associates. The firm eventually grew to 23 on its staff and 
prospered for 30 years, first with an office in Walnut Hills and later 
in Avondale.
  He was named president of the Cincinnati Association of Real Estate 
Brokers and was active with PAC, the national policy-making commission 
of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers.
  A staunch supporter of Cincinnati public schools, Mr. Spencer chaired 
the 2001 campaign, successfully passing the November tax levy. In 2003, 
he served with CASE, Cincinnatians Active in Support of Education, 
which led to the passing of the $435 million levy to build 35 new 
schools and renovate the remaining 31 buildings.
  A lifetime member of the NAACP, Mr. Spencer was active his entire 
adult life in civic, religious, and civic rights organizations. A 
member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, he established the undergraduate 
chapter on the University of Cincinnati campus in 1939. He served on 
the Boards of Ohio University for 2 years as its president, the Ohio 
Valley Goodwill, the Fenwick Club, and Family Housing Developers. He 
was a founding board member of the Friends of Cincinnati Parks and an 
executive board member of the Walnut Hills High School Foundation.
  He also has been active in the Boys Club, the Cincinnatus 
Association, the City of Cincinnati Board of Housing Appeals, the Task 
Force on Racial Isolation in Cincinnati Public Schools, and 
Cincinnati's Historic Conservation Board. He was a 30-year trustee at 
Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, now the New Vision United Methodist 
Church. Among his many honors, Donald Spencer in 1997 received the 
Charles P. Taft Civic Gumption Award from the Cincinnati Charter 
Committee.
  In 2001, the Cincinnati Park Board developed the Donald A. Spencer 
Overlook in Eden Park, one of our jewels, to recognize his many years 
of service to the park system.
  Mr. Spencer received the Founders' Citation from the Ohio University 
Board of Trustees, one of only 14 people to receive the honor in the 
university's 200-year history.
  He leaves behind his wife, Marian, his wife of nearly 70 years, and 
the legacy that lived up to his own philosophy.
  When you look at the folks in Cincinnati and you look at the people 
that make a difference, the Spencers are the First Couple of 
Cincinnati.
  Mr. Spencer will be dearly missed. He was a treasure to all of us in 
Cincinnati.

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