[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 162 (Monday, December 17, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1940]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     PASSING OF MR. FELMERS CHANEY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, December 17, 2012

  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I write to 
express my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Felmers 
Chaney, a respected and influential community leader. A loving husband 
for 70 years, brother, relative, and friend to many in Milwaukee, he 
will surely be missed by all. He was loyal and committed to his family, 
the Milwaukee community, and the civil rights struggle. Felmers' death 
leaves a void, but his memory as a true ``servant leader'' provides a 
remarkable legacy and an example of a life well lived.
  Felmers lived a life full of accomplishment and distinction during 
his time with us. He didn't shy away from controversy and exhibited 
extraordinary courage in the face of outright racial discrimination 
during his life. He was a pioneer on many fronts, starting his career 
in 1947 as only the fourth black officer with the Milwaukee Police 
Department. Due to his tenacity and failure to acquiesce to racial 
injustice, he was promoted and became the first black sergeant on the 
police force serving the department and Milwaukee for 36 years. He 
supervised roughly 20 officers in the department's 5th District--two or 
three of whom were black. These same leadership skills and his concerns 
for those living in Milwaukee's inner city, catapulted him into a 
leadership position as President of Milwaukee's NAACP in 1987. As its 
president for 12 years, Felmers was a formidable advocate on behalf of 
the black community. He spoke out on issues involving the lack of equal 
access to housing, jobs, education, and he was party to the 
``redlining'' lawsuit that successfully challenged the practice of 
denying mortgages to blacks.
  Felmers was not only known for his fight in the civil rights arena, 
but also for his role in creating economic development opportunities in 
the inner city. Because of his interest in building up the black 
community and developing job opportunities, he became the President of 
the Central City Development Corp., which built the Central City Plaza, 
a motel and shopping center on 6th and Walnut Street. This further led 
to his becoming the founder and president of North Milwaukee State 
Bank, Wisconsin's first black-owned bank. In addition to his years as 
NAACP president, Felmers also served as president of the Milwaukee 
Urban League, and in 2000, Gov. Tommy Thompson dedicated Milwaukee's 
new men's correctional center on N. 30th Street as the Felmers 0. 
Chaney Correctional Center.
  Mr. Speaker, the Milwaukee community stands in awe of all that 
Felmers did to give back to this community. He has left an indelible 
mark on me and on those who have chosen to enter public service as a 
career. Felmers has left a beautiful legacy through his family. Our 
community and the Fourth Congressional District of Wisconsin is a much 
better place to live and work because of him. I thank him for the many 
families and individual lives he touched over the years.
  May God be with all who mourn in the days and months ahead. Along 
with my staff, I send my thoughts and prayers.

                          ____________________