[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 111 (Wednesday, July 16, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1172]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO MS. ALICE COACHMAN

                                  _____
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 16, 2014

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and 
solemn remembrance that I rise today to pay tribute to a great woman, 
legendary athlete, and outstanding public servant, Ms. Alice Coachman. 
Sadly, Alice passed away on Monday, July 14, 2014, at the age of 90 in 
Albany, Georgia. The memorial service is scheduled for this Friday, 
July 18.
  Alice was born the fifth of ten children on November 9, 1923, to the 
late Fred and Evelyn Coachman in Albany, Georgia. From an early age, 
Alice spent much of her time running and was quite inventive, using 
ropes and sticks for improvised high jumps. Her hard work, dedication, 
and resourcefulness paid off as Alice qualified for the 1940, 1944, and 
1948 Olympic Games, although the first two were cancelled due to World 
War II. At the 1948 Olympic Games in London however, Alice made history 
when she soared to a record-breaking height of 5 feet, 6 and 1/8 inches 
in the high jump finals, becoming the first African American woman to 
win an Olympic Gold Medal. Although the track and field star's career 
concluded with the London games, Alice's commitment to serving others 
never ceased.
  Before and after her record-breaking victory, Alice dealt with 
challenges representative of the Deep South during the Jim Crow era. 
Because of such segregation, Alice was forbidden from using public 
training facilities. However, she continued to train to ensure her 
competiveness on the national and international scenes. Throughout her 
career, Alice won over 20 national track and field championships, and 
she was named to five All-American teams. It was her unwavering faith 
in herself and God that guided her along the way as she blazed the 
trail for countless other female African-American athletes.
  In 1954, Alice once again set another record--this time as the first 
African American woman to endorse an international product when she 
agreed to serve as Coca-Cola's spokeswoman. The Olympic Champion was 
also inducted to the USA Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1975 and the 
U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2004. She was recognized as one of the top 
one hundred Olympic athletes of all time at the 1996 Olympic Games in 
Atlanta.
  Alice's title as an Olympic Champion, however, serves as only a 
fragment of the powerful legacy she leaves behind for current and 
future generations. She followed her calling to be a teacher in the 
classroom after the 1948 games and also actively supported youth 
participation in track and field. In Alice's later years, she 
established the Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation to offer 
assistance to young athletes and former Olympic competitors.
  George Washington Carver once said, ``No individual has any right to 
come into the world and go out of it without leaving behind distinct 
and legitimate reasons for having passed through it.'' We are all so 
blessed that Ms. Alice Coachman passed our way and during her life's 
journey did so much for so many for so long. She leaves behind a great 
legacy of service to her beloved family and to all those whose lives 
she touched. She will truly be missed.
  Mr. Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to join me, my wife, Vivian, 
and the nearly 700,000 residents in Georgia's Second Congressional 
District in paying tribute to Alice Coachman for her numerous 
outstanding achievements on and off the track. We extend our deepest 
sympathies to her family, friends and loved ones during this difficult 
time and we pray that they will be consoled and comforted by, an 
abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

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