[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 117 (Thursday, July 24, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H6797]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE LIFE OF DR. EVELYN E. THORNTON

  (Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, today, I was on official business in 
Houston, honoring the life of Dr. Evelyn Thornton. She was a great 
American. Dr. Thornton was the mother of two wonderful daughters: 
Yvonne Denise, a trained lawyer; and Wanda, an outstanding physician 
honored by all.
  Dr. Thornton, who lost an eye in her early twenties, went on to be 
the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from the University of 
Houston, a school that African Americans could not go to for many, many 
years.
  She was a member of the Links and Alpha Kappa Alpha, but what she was 
known for is 40 years of teaching. Evelyn was an educator who lifted 
the lives of young people at Prairie View A&M.
  She was a graduate of Texas Southern University, got married, had 
grandchildren, great-grandchildren, daughter-in-laws and a son-in-law, 
Russell, a leader in the community.
  What was most noted is the simplistic style that Evelyn had of 
humility and her willingness to serve the people.
  I would say that today we laid to rest in Houston a great American, 
Dr. Evelyn E. Thornton, whose contributions should continue to be 
remembered.

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