[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 32 (Friday, March 4, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E422-E423]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO GERALDYNE INEZ PIERCE ZIMMERMAN

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 4, 2011

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an educator, 
community leader, humanitarian and constituent on the occasion of her 
100th birthday. Mrs. Geraldyne Inez Pierce Zimmerman, is an institution 
at my alma mater, South Carolina State College (now University), a 
trailblazer in her hometown of Orangeburg, South Carolina, and she 
achieved the remarkable milestone of becoming a Centenarian on March 5, 
2011.
  Mrs. Zimmerman's character is described as being beautiful, caring, 
feisty, generous, humble, intelligent, kind, loving, sensitive, strong 
and witty. Her character has contributed to her success to make a 
significant impact on the lives of people in Orangeburg, South 
Carolina, the state of South Carolina and the United States of America.
  Mrs. Zimmerman is the daughter of Hazel and James Pierce of 358 
Treadwell Street, Orangeburg. She was born in her parents' home on 
March 5, 1911, and she still resides in the family home today.
  Mrs. Zimmerman began her education at an early age by participating 
in a pre-school that her mother started in their home for the 
neighborhood children. When she was of school age, she attended the 
Claflin College's Grammar School in Orangeburg until the 8th Grade. She 
went on to attend the South Carolina State College's High School and 
graduated in 1928.
  Education was extremely important to Mrs. Zimmerman despite the era 
in which she grew up and the limited opportunities available to African 
American women. After graduating from high school she attended Fisk 
University in Nashville, Tennessee. She received a BS Degree in 
Mathematics in March of 1932.
  Mrs. Zimmerman sought to share her love of learning and began her 
career as an educator in 1932 at Felton Academy back at South Carolina 
State College. In 1935, she took a job at Jefferson High School in 
York, South Carolina. Just three years later, she went home to 
Orangeburg to work as a substitute teacher and piano instructor.

[[Page E423]]

  Her love of learning never waned, and she returned to South Carolina 
State College and earned a Master's Degree in Mathematics in 1948. 
After completing her degree, she joined the faculty at SC State's 
Mathematics Department and continued in that position until her 
retirement in 1976.
  Her community was very important to Mrs. Zimmerman, and she was 
extremely involved in growing and improving her hometown. She was a 
founding member of the ``As You Like It'' Bridge Club, the AKA Sorority 
Graduate Chapter, and the Links, Inc. Chapter in Orangeburg. She was 
one of the first members of St. Paul Episcopal Church, the first 
African American Episcopal church in Orangeburg, and she was a founding 
member of the church's Women's Club.
  She was always committed to the education and enrichment of young 
people, so she established the first African American Boy Scouts 
Chapter and Girl Scouts Chapter in Orangeburg. She was a founding 
member of the Helen Wilkerson Sheffield Girls Club for high school 
girls and the Sarah B. Henderson Girls Club for college girls in 
Orangeburg.
  In the community, Mrs. Zimmerman organized the Night Out Campaign 
Against Crime and she spearheaded the cleaning, restoration and 
registering of an Orangeburg African American cemetery that is now 
listed in the National Register of Historic Places. She is also the 
Founder of the Rosa Zimmerman Family Reunion.
  Mrs. Zimmerman was a member of many significant boards and 
organizations in the Orangeburg area. Her memberships included 
Albemarle Chemical Plant Advisory Board; Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) 
Sorority; Art Councils of Orangeburg; Church Community Ministries 
Organization; Girls Scouts of America; Links, Incorporated; NAACP; 
Orangeburg Downtown Revitalization; Red Cross of America; Salvation 
Army; Samaritan Homeless Shelter; St. Paul Episcopal Church and the 
United Way Foundation Grants Committee.
  Her many honors and awards include four National Science Foundation 
Awards; Claflin University's Honorary Doctorate Humane Letters in 1992; 
Orangeburg Kiwanis Club Award in 1994; Orangeburg Citizen of the Year 
in 1994; Orangeburg City Council's Edisto Award in 1999; South Carolina 
Governor's Order of the Palmetto Award in 2000; Certificate of Special 
Congressional Recognition in 2003; South Carolina Hall of Fame 
induction in 2003; AKA Certificate of Appreciation for 75 years in 
2007; Geraldyne Zimmerman's Day by the Orangeburg City Council in 2008; 
and a Certificate of Appreciation from the SCSU Math Club for her years 
of service.
  Due to her dedication to the advancement of young people, the 
Geraldyne Zimmerman Youth Center was dedicated in 1963. In October 
2010, her biography was published, ``Ahead of Her Time in Yesteryear,'' 
which certainly captures the trailblazer Mrs. Zimmerman has been 
throughout her entire life.
  Mrs. Zimmerman married the love of her life, her SC State College 
High School classmate, the late Dudley Malone Zimmerman, in Orangeburg 
in 1935. The couple had two children, D.M. Zimmerman, Jr. and Rose 
Hayzel Zimmerman Jones. She is the proud grandmother of four and the 
great-grandmother to one.
  Mr. Speaker, I invite you and my distinguished colleagues to join me 
in honoring Geraldyne Inez Pierce Zimmerman as she celebrates her 100th 
birthday. This occasion provides us an opportunity to honor the many 
contributions Mrs. Zimmerman has made during her extraordinary 
lifetime. She serves as a remarkable example of what an education and 
determination can accomplish. She is an inspiration to all that have 
been blessed to know her, and I count myself among those who have been 
fortunate to be touched by her gracious spirit.

                          ____________________