[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 92 (Monday, June 18, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1057]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF VINCENT WILLIAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 18, 2012

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is with the heaviest of hearts that I 
rise today to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Vincent Williams. 
Though he was 85 years old and lived a full and happy life, to all us 
who knew him, his sudden passing this week came much too soon.
  Vinnie was a fixture at 59 Elm Street--the building where my District 
Office is located. Sitting next to his shoeshine stand in the first 
floor lobby, he always had a kind word and a contagious smile for any 
passerby. Vinnie was one of those people who always brightened the days 
of others. He had a kind and generous nature and he loved seeing people 
every day--always ready for a conversation. If he saw that you were a 
little down, he would do what he could to make you smile. He was the 
last of the shoeshine men in New Haven and he was a beloved member of 
our building's community.
  Born in North Carolina, one of Vinnie's first jobs was as a 
shoeshine. A local barber offered him the position and it came 
naturally to him. He later joined the United States Navy and served our 
country with honor and integrity during World War II. It was after his 
service that he arrived in New Haven where he took up work at the 
Winchester firearms factory. After five years at Winchester Vinnie took 
a job with the U.S. Postal Service where he worked until his 
retirement. However, retirement did not suit Vinnie well--he did not 
like sitting at home. So he went back to where he began--a shoeshine 
stand--setting up shop at the 59 Elm Street building.
  My staff and I will always carry fond memories of Vinnie. Almost 
every afternoon, Vinnie would close up shop and take a walk around the 
building stopping in each office to wish everyone a good afternoon. I 
am not sure how many people knew about Vinnie's sweet-tooth, but he had 
one. My staff always made sure the small candy dish at our front desk 
had something in it--because the few times it did not, Vinnie was the 
first one to let us know. He also loved the word jumbles in the daily 
paper and worked them out every day. Every once in a while, however, he 
would get stumped. There is one member of my staff that he would always 
ask for help. After memorizing the letters, he would come upstairs, 
poke his head in her office, repeat the letters and give her a minute 
to come up with a suggestion. Even if the others he asked were stumped 
as well, he would work at it until he figured it out--and then would 
let everyone he had asked know the answer as well.
  On behalf of myself and my staff, I extend my deepest sympathies to 
his six children, Ulysses, Cynthia, Gail, Michael, Latanga, and 
Vincent, Jr., as well as his family and friends. I want them to know 
how many lives he touched and the impact he had on others. Vinnie was a 
remarkable human being. His absence leaves an emptiness in our hearts 
that will never be quite be filled. He will be deeply missed by all of 
those fortunate enough to have known him.

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