[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 62 (Tuesday, April 29, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E616]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          IN HONOR OF THE LIFE OF WILLIAM ``BILL'' BLAIR, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MARC A. VEASEY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 29, 2014

  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of William 
``Bill'' Blair, Jr., a talented Negro Leagues pitcher who became a 
voice for Dallas' African-American community. His passing on April 20, 
2014 leaves a void in the city Dallas, and I join with the Texas 
community in giving our condolences to the Blair family.
  Mr. Blair attended Booker T. Washington High School, where he played 
football and met his wife of 70 years, Mozelle Jordan. He went on to 
continue his studies at Prairie View A&M University and later enlisted 
to fight in World War II. In 1945, Mr. Blair became the youngest black 
sergeant to serve in the U.S. Army during World War II.
  Mr. Blair, a Negro Leagues Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, pitched 
from 1946 to 1951, for teams including the Indianapolis Clowns and 
Cincinnati Crescents, and was a player-manager for the Dallas Black 
Giants. He was instrumental in the development of the African American 
Museum's Texas Sports Hall of Fame and served on its advisory board. He 
was also inducted in 1996 as a member of its inaugural class.
  After his baseball career, Mr. Blair founded the Highlight News which 
ran from 1947-1957. He also later founded the Southwest Sports News, a 
newspaper that specialized in publishing scores from Black college 
games throughout the United States. The paper was renamed The Elite 
News in 1960, and is still in publication today, serving as the 
official voice of the church and the community.
  As a civil rights activist for more than 50 years, Blair was 
instrumental in establishing the Elite News Awards, the first local 
African-American awards ceremony, in 1975. In 1986, he established the 
first Martin Luther King, Jr., Parade in Dallas, which is now an 
institution in the community.
  In honor of William ``Bill'' Blair, a pillar of the Dallas community, 
this statement will be entered into the Congressional Record. He will 
be remembered as a civil rights activist, a leader of the community, 
and an irreplaceable figure in the history of the city of Dallas.

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