[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 29, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1774]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING REVEREND HERMAN C. McCRAY, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 28, 2010

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to recognize and 
honor Reverend Herman C. McCray, Jr., an anchor throughout the Palm 
Beach County community who has continued to be a living example of the 
ideals of community service. On September 25, 2010, the Palm Beach 
County Board of County Commissioners will hold a Bridge Dedication 
Ceremony for the ``Herman McCray Jr. Bridge.''
  A native Floridian, Reverend McCray was born in West Palm Beach and 
graduated from Roosevelt High School. Upon graduation, he joined the 
United States Armed Services, 101st Airborne Division. Once Reverend 
McCray returned home, he attended Palm Beach Junior College, which is 
now Palm Beach Community College. He received religious training from 
Palm Beach Atlantic University School of Theology.
  Reverend McCray became an anchor in both the West Palm Beach 
community where he grew up and the Riviera Beach community where he 
moved once he married his wife of 47 years, Lillian. The couple has 
three sons. Reverend McCray and his family joined Greater Bethel 
Primitive Baptist Church and have remained members for more than 40 
years. In 1992, Reverend McCray was ordained a Minister and has served 
as Assistant Pastor of Greater Bethel for more than 10 years. Under his 
leadership, the church has sponsored many ministries and provided 
services that deal with issues affecting the lives of people in all age 
groups.
  As a former Supervisor of Sanitation for the City of Riviera Beach, 
Reverend McCray brought great changes to his community. In the State of 
Florida, he was the first and only African-American to hold this 
position. He was also the first African-American to be employed as a 
ticket agent for the Greyhound Bus Company.
  In an effort to complement his professional achievements, Reverend 
McCray operated McCray's Barbeque Restaurant in Riviera Beach where he 
prepared and distributed--free of charge--dinners and other meals to 
the sick and shut-in, homeless, elderly and other disadvantaged 
individuals. He has also volunteered with incarcerated men and women by 
giving self-enhancement messages. For more than 47 years, Reverend 
McCray has been a member of the Youth of Recreation Association of 
Riviera Beach. During this time, he served as president of the 
organization. Working with the Imperial Men's Club, he organized the 
Young Entrepreneurs, teaching students from Suncoast High Community 
School the art of establishing their own business. Because Reverend 
McCray has been a driving force in the fight for civil and equal rights 
for citizens in Palm Beach County, he has been listed in Blacks in 
Social Change in the South by University of Florida Professor Jim 
Button. He was also elected to Palm Beach County Biracial Committee and 
the Riviera Beach City Council.
  Moreover, Reverend McCray has received numerous awards and 
recognitions such as: Business Man of the Year from Omega Psi Phi 
Fraternity, Inc.; the Westboro Business and Professional Women's Club; 
and Senior Citizen on the Year from the Martin Luther King Coordinating 
Committee.
  Madam Speaker and my colleagues, I ask that you join me in honoring 
Reverend Herman C. McCray, Jr., a humble public servant, a true beacon 
of hope and a guiding light in the Palm Beach County community. He is 
an outstanding American worthy of our collective honor and 
appreciation. It is with deep respect and admiration that I commend 
Reverend McCray for dedicating his life to the community, and I thank 
him for his exceptional leadership.

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