[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 78 (Wednesday, June 5, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E808-E809]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNIZING MR. WILLIAM RASPBERRY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 5, 2013

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to 
the honorable Mr. William Raspberry. Mr. Raspberry was born on October 
12, 1935 to proud parents Mr. James Lee and Mrs. Willie Mae Raspberry. 
A native of Okolona, Mississippi, Mr. Raspberry has become a celebrated 
writer as a result of his commentary on social and political issues.
  Mr. Raspberry received his Bachelor's of Science Degree from Indiana 
Central College, now known as The University of Indianapolis, in 1958. 
After receiving his degree, he served as a public information officer 
with the United States Army from 1960 until 1962, at which time he 
began working at the Washington Post as a teletypist. In 1966 he was 
named as a columnist for the Washington Post, and in that same year, 
Mr. Raspberry married Sondra Patricia Dodson and together they had 
three children Patricia D., Angela D., and Mark J.
  As a result of his exemplary contributions in literature, Mr. 
Raspberry was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1982, and received 
the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1994.
  Mr. Raspberry has dictated his strong opinions about the problems in 
American society through his work with the Washington Post. He has been 
noted for writing about education, criminal justice, family, and racial 
matters in America. Mr. Raspberry has often been quoted in many 
different publications and has also been asked to speak at various 
conferences and seminars.
  In addition to providing a weekly column in the Washington Post, Mr. 
Raspberry has also served in other capacities throughout his lifetime. 
He served as a journalism instructor at Howard University from 1971-
1973; Member of the Board of Advisers, Poynter Institute for Media 
Studies, 1984; Member of the Board of Visitors, University of Maryland 
School of Journalism, 1985; television commentator for WTTG, 
Washington, D.C., 1973-1975; Television Discussion Panelist, WRC-TV, 
Washington, D.C., 1974-1975, and a Member of the Pulitzer Prize Board, 
1979-1986. As of 2008, Mr. Raspberry has also served as the President 
of ``Baby Steps'', a parent training and empowerment program based in 
Okolona, Mississippi.
  He is also the author of Looking Backward at Us, a collection of his 
columns from the 1980's. Mr. Raspberry has received honorary

[[Page E809]]

degrees from Georgetown University, University of Maryland, and the 
University of Indianapolis; he received an honorary Doctor of Laws 
degree from Colby College. He was also the Knight Professor of the 
Practice of Communications and Journalism at the Sanford Institute of 
Public Policy at Duke University. During his career Mr. Raspberry, has 
also served as a member of the National Association of Black 
Journalists, Capitol Press Club, and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity 
Incorporated.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mr. 
William Raspberry for his exceptional contributions to our community 
and to our society as whole.

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