[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 113 (Thursday, July 26, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1336]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF DORA FINLEY

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                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 26, 2012

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the contributions 
of Mrs. Dora Finley, a native of Mobile, Alabama, who recently passed 
away at the age of 59. During her lifetime, Dora Finley inspired Mobile 
to recognize its rich heritage while moving the community to remember 
the vital lessons of the past.
  At an early age, Mrs. Finley demonstrated a passion for social issues 
and an uncommon ability to lead. A graduate of Mobile's Bishop Toolen 
School for Girls in 1970, Mrs. Finley created the United Student Action 
Movement while still a high school junior. As head of the Movement, she 
dedicated herself to addressing issues confronting African-American 
youth.
  Mrs. Finley learned the value of hard work in childhood when she 
helped sell candy in the family drugstore. She later taught mathematics 
at John L. Leflore High School before becoming a Loan Officer at 
Commonwealth National Bank. After earning a Masters' Degree in Business 
Administration from Spring Hill College, she embarked on a 25 year 
career in Managerial Logistics with Scott Paper Company/Kimberly-Clark 
Corporation.
  Her tenacity to see any job through to completion combined with her 
dedication to promoting a greater awareness of African-American history 
in her hometown made her uniquely qualified to assume the one role for 
which she is best known--the creator of the Mobile African-American 
Heritage Trail. The Heritage Trail's primary objective is to share 
Mobile's multicultural legacy from the earliest arrival of African-
Americans to the end of segregation. Throughout Mobile County there 
have been 40 historic markers established by the trail.
  City Councilman William Carroll personally credited Mrs. Finley with 
the creation of the Heritage Trail: ``Without Dora, the African-
American Heritage Trail would have never been.''
  Finley also assisted in the making of the 2008 Mobile Mardi Gras 
documentary ``The Order of Myths,'' produced and directed by Margaret 
Brown. The film highlights the history of Mobile's black and white 
mystical societies and the complex interaction between the two.
  One of her last projects was raising money to restore the Cook's 
House at Oakleigh Mansion. The Cook's House is slated to become the 
first house museum in Mobile dedicated to the African-American 
experience, offering a historically-accurate accounting of the families 
that once worked at Oakleigh.
  Mr. Speaker, Dora Finley has been described as one of Mobile's 
strongest advocates of historic preservation and a tireless advocate 
for equality. Without a doubt, her loss is one that is shared by our 
entire community.
  On behalf of the people of Mobile, I offer my heartfelt condolences 
to her daughter, Nicole; her mother, Joycelyn Franklin Finley; brothers 
James and Karlos; sister Joycelyn; and many other family and friends. 
You are all in our thoughts and prayers.

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