[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 38 (Thursday, March 6, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E328-E329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF DARWIN L. CURLS FOR HIS DEDICATED CAREER OF PUBLIC 
                                SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 6, 2014

  Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize one of our own. 
On Friday, March 7, 2014, Mr. Darwin Lenard Curls is retiring from my 
office after serving the past nine years for the Fifth Congressional 
District as the Director of Community Affairs and dedicating nearly 
half-a-century of public service to our community.
  Born on October 17, 1943, to a family of public servants, Darwin 
learned at an early age the importance of giving back to his community. 
His parents, Fred and Velma Curls raised Darwin and his five siblings 
to help those less fortunate. His father was a pioneer for civil and 
political rights in our community and was one of the original founders 
of Freedom Incorporated, an African-American political organization, 
based in Kansas City, Missouri. Darwin observed his father's efforts to 
better the community, such as with his fight against restrictive 
covenants in residential neighborhoods in our community. His brother, 
Phil Curls, went on to become a State Senator and President of Freedom 
Inc. Along with Darwin's help, Freedom rose to be known as one of the 
most potent political organizations in the United States. Darwin 
remembers well his father's saying ``make it happen'', and took to 
heart those words by dedicating his life to making things happen. Make-
no-mistake, through his career of action and advocacy in our great 
state of Missouri, Darwin has been the embodiment of the ``Show me 
State''.
  As a young man, Darwin attended De La Salle Military Academy, before 
earning his Bachelor of Arts degree from Park College. He eventually 
found his calling when he landed a position with the Blue Hills Homes 
Corporation--a community development corporation focused on improving 
neighborhoods in the urban core thru creating quality housing 
opportunities. Darwin spent nearly 23 years with Blue Hills.
  In 1994, Darwin chose to run for public office and was elected 
overwhelmingly for the Kansas City Missouri School Board. During a 
challenging time for the School District, Darwin brought much-needed, 
common sense approaches to ensure children were given the best 
opportunities to succeed. After retiring from the School Board, he 
accepted a Trustee position with the Kansas City Public School 
Retirement System where he served for 16 years to ensure the employees 
of the Kansas City School District were treated fairly thru their 
retirement.
  In 1999, Darwin joined the Congressional staff of my predecessor, 
Representative Karen McCarthy. He served for five years, handling 
casework and outreach. After a brief stint with Swope Community 
Builders, I asked Darwin to join me shortly after my election. He 
started on February 1, 2005 as my Director of Community Affairs. In 
that capacity, Darwin has overseen the office's casework, helping 
constituents with issues dealing with the Internal Revenue Service, 
Social Security Administration, Housing and Urban Development, and much 
more. He has helped hundreds of individuals traverse the challenges of 
the federal bureaucracy, helping people to receive back payments, or 
keep their housing. He was always available to constituents, sometimes 
just lending a shoulder during their time in need. Equally valuable, he 
has been an integral part of our outreach efforts, regularly providing 
remarks at meetings and events on behalf of the office. Over the years, 
I have relied heavily on his insights and feedback about our community 
and their concerns, as he has always had his fingers on the pulse of 
our District.
  Darwin has been married for forty-five years to his wife, Sandra, and 
they are blessed to have three amazing children and seven 
grandchildren. Their daughter, Shalonn ``Kiki'' Curls, is continuing 
the family tradition of public service as a State Senator.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing and honoring Mr. Darwin 
Curls for a lifetime of dedicated service to our community. While he 
embraces this next phase of life in retirement, I wish to thank him for 
his guiding counsel over the years. He has served as a role model to 
many in our office and in the African-American community. The lives of 
hundreds of constituents he has helped, our neighbors, community, and 
Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, have been enhanced because he 
chose to ``make it happen.''

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