[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 64 (Wednesday, May 11, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E861]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING DR. JAMES P. COMER AS HE IS RECOGNIZED WITH THE NAACP LIFETIME 
                           ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 11, 2011

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker I am deeply honored to rise today to join 
the Greater New Haven Branch of the National Association of the 
Advancement of Colored People as they recognize the invaluable 
contributions of an outstanding member of our community, Dr. James P. 
Comer. Dr. Comer is an internationally renowned psychiatrist, social 
scientist, and author whose work in early childhood development has 
changed the way that we, as a society, have approached early learning 
and education. This year, the Greater New Haven NAACP has named Dr. 
Comer the recipient of their Lifetime Achievement Award--only the 
second time in its history that such a recognition has been bestowed.
  Like so many of us, the importance of education was instilled into 
Dr. Comer at a young age by his parents. His mother had less than 2 
years of formal schooling and his father only six, but they understood 
that their children's future success would depend on a quality 
education. They worked hard and ensured all five of their children had 
the opportunity not only to finish their elementary and secondary 
education but to attend college as well. Indeed, in a recent interview 
Dr. Comer remarked that ``they gave us the developmental experience we 
needed''--a lesson that has guided his career.
  Dr. Comer is currently the Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry 
at Yale University School of Medicine's Child Study Center and he has 
been a faculty member since 1968. Over the course of his career, his 
focus on child development as a means of improving schools has earned 
him a distinguished reputation as well as international recognition. He 
is perhaps best known for founding the Comer School Development 
program--a concept that promotes the collaboration of parents, 
educators, and community to improve social, emotional, and academic 
outcomes for children that, in turn, helps them to achieve greater 
success in school. This model has become a national model, implemented 
in more than five hundred schools across America where its goals of 
improving the educational environment and student achievement have 
exceeded expectations. Its remarkable success has impacted the lives of 
millions of our young people--providing them the educational building 
blocks that have allowed them to realize their dreams.
  A prolific writer, Dr. Comer has published nine books and countless 
articles on children's health and development as well as race 
relations. He has also served as consultant to the Children's 
Television Workshop, the producer of Sesame Street and The Electric 
Company, as well as to the Public Committee on Mental Health, a group 
chaired by Roslyn Carter. He has been a member of the National 
Commission on Teaching and America's future since 1994 and a myriad of 
other national committees and commissions which have led to changes in 
how our country crafts public policy concerning education. In addition 
to all of this, he has also somehow found the time to serve on the 
boards of a multitude of educational institutions and community 
organizations.
  Dr. Comer's work and scholarship has been recognized across the 
country with forty-seven honorary degrees and innumerable awards, 
commendations, and honors including the John P. McGovern Behavioral 
Science Award from the Smithsonian Institution and the prestigious 
Heinz Award in the Human Condition from Heinz Family Philanthropies. 
His visionary leadership and exceptional contributions have changed the 
face of education in America. There are few have had such an 
extraordinary impact on our way of life which is why I can think of no 
one more deserving to receive the NAACP's Lifetime Achievement Award.
  Over my years in Congress, I have had the unique opportunity to work 
closely with Dr. Comer and I could not be more proud to stand today to 
recognize him for all of his good work and congratulate him on this 
very special occasion. His is a legacy that will continue to make a 
difference in the lives of our young people for generations to come. I 
wish him, his wife, Bettye, and their family many more years of health 
and happiness.

                          ____________________