[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 30 (Thursday, February 25, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S1056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING DR. ROBERT B. HAYLING

 Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the 
achievements of Dr. Robert B. Hayling, a civil rights leader in Florida 
who passed away on December 20, 2015, at the age of 86.
  Dr. Hayling was born in Tallahassee and graduated from Florida 
Agricultural & Mechanical College. Upon graduation, Dr. Hayling served 
in the U.S. Air Force. Dr. Hayling went on to receive his degree in 
dentistry from Meharry Medical College and became the first African-
American dentist in Florida to be elected to the local, regional, 
State, and national components of the American Dental Association.
  Throughout his years as a community leader and civil rights activist 
in St. Augustine, Dr. Hayling faced numerous threats, hate speech, and 
brutal violence at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan. Nevertheless, Dr. 
Hayling persevered in his resolve for racial equality and is widely 
recognized as a father of the St. Augustine civil rights movement. 
During a time of widespread racial divide, Dr. Hayling served as an 
adviser to the youth council of the National Association for the 
Advancement of Colored People and as head of the St. Augustine chapter 
of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the national 
organization of which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was president.
  Dr. Hayling is the recipient of various honors and awards, including 
the Order of La Florida and the de Aviles award which honors citizens 
that have dedicated themselves to the community of St. Augustine. Scott 
Street in St. Augustine has been renamed Dr. Robert B. Hayling Place in 
his honor.
  Dr. Hayling was inducted into the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame 
and received a certificate of recognition by St. Augustine's mayor. 
Even his old dental office became the first civil rights museum in 
Florida. Further, State Senator Tony Hill sponsored the Dr. Robert B. 
Hayling Award of Valor, which is presented to civil rights heroes, and 
a bronze plaque testifying to Dr. Hayling's contributions hangs in the 
lobby of the Florida State Capitol.
  I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and thank Dr. 
Robert B. Hayling for his commitment, achievements, and dedication in 
advancing the cause of racial equality and civil rights on both a 
national and State level.
  I offer my heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and loved 
ones of Dr. Robert B. Hayling.

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