[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 44 (Friday, March 16, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E372]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO WILLYE DENNIS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CORRINE BROWN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 16, 2012

  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, to a remarkable woman who will be 
terribly missed: my heart and prayers go out to the family and friends 
of the Honorable Willye Dennis. Willye Dennis was a good friend, a 
political pioneer, a dedicated public servant, and an ardent fighter 
for the African American community in Jacksonville. An outstanding 
state House representative and 10 year NAACP--Jacksonville President, 
she will always be remembered and in the heart of the entire 
Jacksonville community.
  Known as a fearless warrior, Ms. Dennis was a formidable political 
force who influenced a generation of city leaders. Inspired by her 
strong belief in equal opportunity, she was a true civil rights 
champion, who went on to greatly influence the community as a whole, as 
well as the Duval County school system.
  Ms. Dennis lived her entire life in Jacksonville. She studied at Old 
Stanton High School and was later hired by the city's library system in 
1951. She earned a bachelor's degree from Clark College in Atlanta, a 
Master's in Library Science from Atlanta University, and completed her 
Doctoral studies in Public Administration at Nova University in South 
Florida.
  While she continued to work for the library until 1980, Mrs. Dennis 
incorporated her own business, Fam-Co Learning and Development Inc. in 
1978. And by 1992, the company was labeled one of America's 10 best 
daycare centers by Child magazine.
  As branch president of the Jacksonville--NAACP from 1984 until 1994, 
she dedicated a great deal of her time pursuing a court case to 
complete the desegregation of the Duval County school system. Largely 
because of her efforts, the school system negotiated an agreement in 
1990 that led to the creation of the county's magnet school system.
  In the words of one of Jacksonville's finest civil rights activists, 
Mr. Rodney Hurst, ``she (Willye Dennis) was a tireless worker . . . 
committed to the NAACP . . . she was one of those brave, unsung she-
roes that are not given the recognition they deserve.''
  I will always remember her strong will power, relentless drive, 
intelligence and energy. And as one of Jacksonville's civil rights 
pioneers, I am certain that she will serve as an inspiration for others 
to follow her footsteps in the future.

                          ____________________