[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 5, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1773]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   FRANCES REEVES JOLLIVETTE CHAMBERS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CORRINE BROWN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 5, 2011

  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, Frances Reeves Jollivette 
Chambers, warmly known as Fran, was born on November 13, 1921 in 
Overtown. She was the sixth of five surviving children born to The 
Miami Times Founder, the late Henry E.S. Reeves and Rachel Jane Cooper 
Reeves, who had emigrated in April 1919 from Nassau, Bahamas, to Miami. 
She wed Cyrus M. Jollivette, Sr., in December 1942. Widowed in January 
1960, she wed James R. Chambers in July 1963; he died in June 2000. Her 
daughters are Miamians Regina Jollivette Frazier and Cleo Leontine 
Jollivette; her son, Cyrus M. Jollivette, resides in Mandarin, Florida. 
She is blessed with four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
  After graduating from Booker T. Washington High in 1938, Chambers was 
awarded the Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude from Bennett 
College in 1942 and the Master of Arts degree from New York University 
in 1959. She later studied at the University of Miami and University of 
Florida and Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, and Barry universities, 
amassing more post graduate credits than are required for the doctoral 
degree. She taught and guided generations of students at Dunbar 
Elementary, Miami Jackson Senior High, COPE Center North, and Holmes 
Elementary before retiring from the Dade County Public Schools in July 
1979 after more than 37 years as a teacher, reading specialist, 
counselor, and principal.
  Hers has been a lifetime of involvement. In the 1950s she was a 
volunteer for the March of Dimes and the American Heart Association. In 
the 1960s she was JESCA board chair, a board member of Senior Centers 
of Dade County and a member of the American Association of University 
Women. In the 1970s and 1980s she was a member of the Florida State 
Board of Optometry and the League of Women Voters. As a retiree in the 
1990s she continued her community volunteerism and also traveled the 
world visiting more than 50 countries and six continents. She is a life 
member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the NAACP, a platinum member 
of The Links, Inc., and a charter member and past president of the MRS 
Club, a six-decades-old group of friends. At Incarnation Episcopal 
Church she is a member of Daughters of the King.
  In a far different world almost three decades ago she conceived, 
developed, and implemented the research plan to publish a book to 
record, preserve, and transmit the history of Miami's black pioneers. 
Her goal was to help assure that future generations could appreciate 
the long and difficult road so many Pioneer Miamians had traveled.
  Her vision has been realized. The 120-page hard bound coffee table 
book, Linkages & Legacies, is being published in March 2010 by The 
Links, Inc., Greater Miami Chapter, through the non-profit Linkages and 
Legacies, Inc. The publication--a gift to the community--was made 
possible because so many gave so much and demonstrated the resolve to 
complete the project even though Chambers could no longer lead nor 
participate in the effort. It is because of her concept for the book 
that the AT&T African-American History Calendar was created 17 years 
ago. In 2010 Fran Chambers is recognized for her vision to help 
preserve and transmit our history for generations to come.
  Since 2000, Fran Chambers has been afflicted with Alzheimer's disease 
and cared for at her home.

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