[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 103 (Thursday, July 3, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1106-E1107]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF REVEREND DR. SHELLIE SAMPSON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 3, 2014

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, April 28, 2014, the Baptist 
Ministers' Conference of New York & Vicinity led by President Reverend 
James D. Morrison paid tribute to late Reverend Dr. Shellie Sampson, 
who presided over the conference as president until his untimely 
passing, which occurred on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday on 
January 20, 2014.
  It is with great honor that I am able to say that Reverend Dr. 
Shellie Sampson was a true disciple of the Lord and messenger of the 
word. He combined the power of education with the power of divinity to 
manifest perfection and excellence. Dr. Sampson earned it the old 
fashion way, because he was led by God and destined to lead others. The 
Book of Proverbs, Chapter 16, Verse 9 states, ``The heart of man plans 
his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.''
  Biblically literate and centered, Dr. Sampson brought down the walls 
of Jericho, and removed all the obstacles by raising and developing his 
leadership through ongoing training and learning at the highest level. 
Book of John, Chapter 13, Verses 13-17 also states, ``You call me 
Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord 
and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one 
another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should 
do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is 
not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one 
who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do 
them.''
  Reverend Dr. Sampson was guided by these teachings during his 30 
years of pastoral service to Thessalonia Baptist Church and his devoted 
leadership to the Baptist Ministers' Conference of New York and 
Vicinity. Therefore, it is our firm belief that the Creator sets a 
clear path for each of us to follow, and the path paved by Reverend Dr. 
Shellie Sampson, Jr. will allow so many to benefit from his 
commitments. Great men like our beloved husband, father, grandfather 
and Pastor are precious gifts we temporarily have in this world, but 
their assistance, contributions and accomplishments will be far 
remembered and everlasting and define him as a true patriot of an 
American Dream well lived.
  I am including into the Record Reverend Dr. Shellie Sampson's 
obituary which was read during his Going Home Services.

       Shellie Sampson was born on December 15, 1940 in the 
     central region of Newark, New Jersey. As the eldest of three 
     children to the late Shellie Sampson and Lillian Brinson, he 
     placed a high value on education and led a life characterized 
     by profound spiritual insight, hard work, tenacity, and the 
     relentless pursuit of excellence. While growing up in Newark, 
     he took advantage of the opportunities before him and used 
     his resources to become a man of distinction who would leave 
     an enduring legacy.
       Shellie Sampson graduated from Central High School with 
     honors in science, history, music, and distance running. He 
     went on to attend Rutgers University dual majoring in 
     chemistry and natural science before earning a Bachelor's of 
     Arts in natural science. He worked diligently even while 
     being one of few Black Americans to attend Rutgers. During a 
     time of tumultuousness and racial upheaval, he persevered in 
     spite of discrimination from professors and hostility towards 
     African Americans. Following his bachelor's degree, assured 
     of the unquestionable spiritual call upon his life, he 
     attended Drew University where he earned a Master's of 
     Divinity and a Doctorate in Ministry of Christian Education. 
     At the same time that he was yielding to the spiritual call, 
     there was an equally great intellectual fervor continuing to 
     grow within him. He was accepted to New York University where 
     he pursued Urban Studies and all coursework leading to a 
     doctorate degree. After the program had been eliminated, he 
     transferred to Temple University where he gained far beyond 
     what he imagined. Choosing to start from the beginning of his 
     doctorate, he was able to study the latest research that 
     would provide him with the tools he needed to produce his own 
     original, cutting-work. Dr. Sampson gained mastery in areas 
     beyond his particular discipline, integrating Urban Studies, 
     Psychology, Black Studies, History, Sociology, and Education. 
     In 2007, at 66 years old he had completed coursework for his 
     third doctorate and earned a Ph.D. in Urban Education and 
     Psychology. Within the University, some of the most highly 
     esteemed scholars commented that they were astounded by the 
     depth of his intellectual contributions to fields that were 
     not his own. His departments began his dissertation as the 
     model for all subsequent doctoral theses and asked him to 
     provide a list of every title in his personal library at 
     home. Based on his inquiries and insights, additional courses 
     were added to the curriculum to further enhance the program. 
     These accolades were in addition to seminars he attended at 
     MIT and Princeton University.
       Not only was Dr. Sampson a man of keen spiritual insight 
     and intellectual prowess, but he had an unwavering commitment 
     to his high school sweetheart. At age 15, he met Deloranzo 
     Paschal at Central High School, and after looking up her 
     academic records in the school office, he determined that she 
     was the kind of woman that he wanted to date. For their first 
     date, he took her to see the ``The Ten Commandments,'' and 
     was then certain that they shared a common vision and passion 
     for God. As their love blossomed, he proposed to her and even 
     waited while she pursued her dream of entering military 
     service as Air Force personnel. In 1960, they were married in 
     Bloomfield. They have six sons and three daughters. Dr. 
     Sampson was a devoted father who worked tirelessly to provide 
     his family with the best education, well-
     rounded extracurricular activities and diverse life 
     experiences: Above all else, he taught them that God and 
     education were the keys to success. Because of his 
     ambitions and standards of excellence, his family now 
     includes leaders in the following fields: educational 
     leadership, pastoral visionary, law, counseling, civil 
     service, music conducting, early childhood, elementary and 
     higher education, public relations, veterinary medicine, 
     public health, medical assistance, chemical engineering, 
     cross cultural studies, computer engineering, fashion 
     marketing, animal science, communications, media and music 
     technology and performance.
       The success that Dr. Sampson's family achieved is the 
     result of the hand of God upon his life. It began when he 
     accepted Christ in his heart while playing the organ as a 
     teenager. At the risk of embarrassing his pastor, he was 
     honest with himself and with God, responding to the altar 
     call because he wanted to know God as his Lord and Savior. 
     From that very moment, Dr. Sampson yielded to the Holy Spirit 
     and began to center his life on his newfound spiritual 
     identity from church activities, to vacation, to times of 
     prayer with his family. He tenaciously pursued his purpose 
     until January 20, 2014 when the Lord called him home.
       He was blessed to have an impeccable academic record but 
     also to have an impressive career as a chemist for Theobald 
     Industries. He also worked as a microbiologist at Best Foods 
     International and a Technological Supervisor in Packaging 
     Engineering--Quality Control for Anheuser Busch. In most of 
     his positions, he was one of few, if not the only African 
     American working in the company. Although he frequently met 
     with racial opposition, when he traded his career as a 
     chemist for Anheuser Busch for the call of preparing people 
     for God's Kingdom, the company was disappointed to see him go 
     and promised him a job and benefits if he ever wanted to 
     return. There was no question, as

[[Page E1107]]

     for Dr. Sampson and his house, they would serve the Lord.
       In the 1970s, Dr. Sampson was ordained and installed on the 
     same day as Pastor of New Calvary Baptist Church in 
     Montclair, New Jersey. Despite the arduous schedule, he 
     worked, attended school, and pastored with his whole heart. 
     While pastoring at New Calvary, he was invited to apply to 
     serve as the interim headmaster at Covent Avenue Science 
     Academy. He assumed the position and the Lord would continue 
     to open doors for him, connecting him with various leaders 
     who would recognize his gifting and invite him into more 
     extensive church networks. Dr. Sampson served as the 
     president of both the Shiloh Baptist Association Congress of 
     New Jersey, as well as the Northern Baptist School of 
     Religion of Newark. He was a guest instructor for the Eastern 
     Baptist Association College Seminary Extension; a guest 
     lecturer at Drew University School of Theology, and Executive 
     Director of the Baptist Education Center of New York. In 
     addition, he traveled with the NYC Religious Education 
     Academic Foreign Studies Tours, traveling to WCC Geneva, 
     Switzerland, Gregorian University, Rome and Hebrew 
     University, and Israel.
       After pastoring from 1970 to 1982 at New Calvary Baptist 
     Church, he was called to Thessalonia Baptist Church and 
     installed as the twelfth pastor in May, 1982. Dr. Sampson 
     came with a vision that continues to grow even unto this day. 
     His vision included major projects such as, the erection of 
     the Cultural Community Center, which today is a multimillion-
     dollar communal faculty. Upon completion, the Center housed 
     the following: South Bronx Leadership High School, the TIR 
     Bookstore, church offices, a banquet hall, amphitheater, 
     chapel, lower gallery with additional office space and over a 
     dozen classrooms. Dr. Sampson was a strategic thinker who 
     anticipated the future. In laying the plans for the building, 
     he placed the elevator and handicap ramp at the intersection 
     of the church and the new construction in order to provide 
     access for seniors and disabled visitors. Dr. Sampson's 
     strategic leadership led him to establish the Thessalonia 
     Institute of Religion and the Thessalonia Academy, an 
     elementary school designed to ground students in the Gospel 
     and provide a rigorous academic curriculum. To date, the 
     Academy has had over 50 graduates and more than 100 students, 
     many of whom have gone on to attend prestigious boarding 
     schools, colleges, and universities. Other endeavors include 
     several renovations to the church building, food pantry, 
     senior programs, adult education programs, feeding and 
     clothing of the needy, Boy Scouts, youth ministry, annual 
     church retreats, and the enhancement to the name: Thessalonia 
     Worship Center.
       In addition, writing was the hallmark of Dr. Sampson's 
     life. Not only could he often be found feverishly inscribing 
     notes in a pocket notebook, but he always carried a pen and 
     was ready to record the things that God was revealing to him. 
     His discipline to write transferred to his roles in ministry. 
     He was Editor-in-Chief for the National Baptist Christian 
     Education Handbook and he wrote materials for church 
     leadership, such as Effective Techniques in Abuse Ministry: 
     Handbook for youth education, Superior Leadership in 
     Challenging Situations as well as training guides for various 
     aspects of the ministry. He authored several books and 
     publications, including Revelation Now: Viewing the Tragedies 
     and Triumphs of Believers, Building Faith Now and 
     Achievement. His publications extended beyond local venues 
     and were disseminated to international audiences. He 
     incorporated his own publishing company, Dorkeo Inc and his 
     texts were distributed through a variety of formats including 
     print, digital, audio, and visual.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in celebrating 
the life of Reverend Dr. Shellie Sampson. Educator, Spiritual Leader, 
and a true American Hero.

                          ____________________