[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 38 (Thursday, March 6, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN HONOR OF OPHELIA DEVORE-MITCHELL

                                  _____
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 6, 2014

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I 
rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding and truly one-of-a-kind 
woman, Dr. Ophelia DeVore-Mitchell. Sadly, Dr. DeVore-Mitchell passed 
away on Friday, February 28, 2014. A Repast and Celebration of Life 
will be held on Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. at the Gallery at 
Fountain Park in Columbus, Georgia.
  Dr. DeVore-Mitchell was widely known as one of our nation's first 
African-American models and the founder of the first black model 
agency. She was more well-known in Columbus, Georgia as the longtime 
owner of the Columbus Times newspaper, which is now owned and operated 
by her daughter, Ms. Carol Gertjegerdes.
  Dr. DeVore-Mitchell was born in 1922 in Edgefield, South Carolina but 
moved to New York City, where she majored in Mathematics at New York 
University. At the age of 16, she was working for Ebony magazine and in 
1946, she enrolled in the Vogue School of Modeling, which up until then 
had excluded women of color.
  She was acutely aware of how African Americans were stereotypically 
depicted in the media, and she made it her mission to change this 
public perception. In 1946, Dr. DeVore-Mitchell opened the Grace del 
Marco Modeling Agency and in 1948, she founded the Ophelia DeVore 
School of Self-Development and Modeling. These agencies were pivotal in 
transforming the social landscape of America by paving the way for 
African Americans to pursue careers in the fashion and entertainment 
industries at a time when it was not the norm for black women to be 
recognized for their beauty.
  In 1955, Dr. DeVore-Mitchell and her models made history as the hosts 
of ABC's ``Spotlight on Harlem,'' New York's first television program 
produced by and for African Americans. She went on to produce several 
other New York cable television shows, including the ``Ophelia DeVore 
Show.'' She again made history in 1959 and 1960 when two of her 
clients, Ms. Cecilia Cooper and Ms. LaJeune Hundley became the first 
Americans, Black or White, to win titles at the Cannes Film Festival in 
Paris, France.
  Dr. DeVore-Mitchell helped shape the lives and careers of the 
country's top African-American models and entertainers. She has 
received more than 300 awards and honors over her lifetime and in 1985, 
she was appointed by President Reagan to the John F. Kennedy Center 
Committee on the Arts. In addition to her accomplishments in modeling 
and producing, Dr. DeVore-Mitchell was a newspaper owner and publisher, 
business executive, and consultant.
  Maya Angelou once said, ``In diversity, there is beauty and there is 
strength. We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, 
and we must understand that all the threads of that tapestry are equal 
in value no matter their color.'' Ophelia DeVore-Mitchell used beauty 
as a public platform to address injustice and prejudice, blazing a 
trail for countless others along the way. By challenging the status quo 
and championing diversity, she helped to ensure that future generations 
would enjoy a robust and truly unique American culture that recognizes 
all members of society.
  Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to join me, my wife, Vivian, 
and the nearly 700,000 people in Georgia's Second Congressional 
District in paying tribute to Ophelia DeVore-Mitchell for her numerous 
outstanding achievements and her everlasting dedication to promoting 
African-American power, pride, and presence. May her family members and 
friends be consoled and comforted by the knowledge that she made a 
great difference in this world and helped to build a better, more 
equitable America.

                          ____________________