[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 135 (Tuesday, September 13, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1611]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING REVEREND AND MRS. LESTER COUSIN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NITA M. LOWEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 13, 2011

  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Reverend 
Doctor Lester Cousin and his wife, Mary Katherine Simpson Cousin. Their 
devoted service to the Calvary Baptist Church in White Plains, New 
York, will be recognized at the Retirement Banquet in their honor on 
September 17th, 2011.
  For the last 38 years, Rev. Cousin has been the pastor of the Calvary 
Baptist Church. Under his leadership and vision, the church has tripled 
the size of its physical space--which now includes 18 classrooms, a 
youth church chapel, computer room, games and exercise room--and 
greatly expanded the spiritual and educational services it provides to 
meet the needs of a growing congregation.
  Rev. Cousin, known fondly as the ``Senior Pastor of White Plains'' 
because of his long tenure, also carries out his ministry in the 
broader community. He served as Chaplain for the White Plains Police 
and Fire Departments for 25 years, a Commissioner for the Public Access 
Cable TV Commission for seven terms, Treasurer of the Ministers 
Fellowship Council of White Plains and Vicinity, and is an active 
member of the White Plains/Greenburgh NAACP. He assists with the 
Pastoral Care Ministry of the White Plains Hospital Center and the 
Chaplain Staff at the Norwood E. Jackson Correctional Facility in 
Valhalla, New York, and has chaired the Annual Neighborhood Health Fair 
which his church co-sponsors annually. Rev. Cousin also is a member of 
the Advisory Board of the Schnurmacher Nursing Home and an honorary 
member of the Board of Directors of S.H.O.R.E. (Sheltering the Homeless 
is Our Responsibility).
  Rev. Cousin has been the worthy recipient of countless certificates, 
citations and honors. In 1987 he was awarded the Honorary Doctor of 
Divinity Degree from Shaw Divinity School in Raleigh, North Carolina. 
He is also a nationally known Gospel singer and recording artist.
  Rev. Cousin and Mrs. Cousin, who have been married for 58 years, are 
deeply committed to serving their church and our community at large. I 
am proud to recognize Reverend Doctor Lester Cousin and Mrs. Mary 
Katherine Simpson Cousin for their almost four decades of inspirational 
leadership and example, hard work and dedication, and I urge my 
colleagues to join me in honoring their many contributions to the 
spiritual and civic life of White Plains and Westchester County.

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