[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 72 (Monday, May 9, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S2620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING SAMUEL STATEN, SENIOR

 Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, today I remember the distinguished 
life and career of Mr. Samuel Staten, Sr., who passed away at the age 
of 80 on Tuesday, April 26, 2016. Sam was not only a trusted adviser 
and dedicated father, but a pillar of strength for thousands in the 
labor movement and Philadelphia. I would like to take this time to not 
only send my condolences to his family, but to reflect upon his 
remarkable life. He spent 50 years in the labor industry and dedicated 
his career to strengthening the rights of workers and the bonds of 
friendship between the communities of Philadelphia. He worked his 
entire life for the betterment of his fellow workers and experienced 
firsthand the hardships that inadequate wages and benefits can have on 
hard-working Americans.
  Sam's presence was felt in the labor movement long before his time as 
one of Philadelphia's most prominent civic leaders. He spent 10 years 
as a construction laborer in Philadelphia in the 1960s and remembered 
working for $2.60 an hour, without health care, without a pension plan, 
without any of the support many of our Nation's workers have come to 
enjoy today. His experience in the transformative decade of the sixties 
showed him not only the importance of the labor movement, but the power 
that collective action can have for the well-being of the community and 
the Nation.
  Following 10 years as a construction worker, Sam's capacity for 
leadership and his ability to unite people were recognized when he 
became a field representative for Laborers' Local 332 in 1970. His 
skills and leadership helped him to quickly rise through the ranks, and 
in 1973, he was appointed assistant business manager for Local 332. The 
high esteem in which he was held by his colleagues continued to be 
evident in 1978 when he was elected business manager for Local 332 and 
held that position until 2008. He also served as the secretary-
treasurer of the Laborers' District Council of the Metropolitan Area of 
Philadelphia & Vicinity. He officially retired from Laborers Local 332 
and the Laborers' District Council in 2010.
  Never one to narrow his focus to just one area, he brought his 
leadership and insight to countless other organizations. Over the 
years, he served as a trustee of the Laborers' District Council 
Building & Construction Health & Welfare Fund, delegate to the 
Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council, board member of 
the Philadelphia Housing Authority, member of the African-American 
Chamber of Commerce, trustee of the Laborers' District Council Building 
& Construction Pension Fund, board member of the Pennsylvania 
Convention Center Authority, and member of the Pennsylvania Prevailing 
Wage Appeals Board. These represent only a few of the many 
organizations to which Sam lent his support, but show the extensive 
influence and support he has given to the Philadelphia area.
  Given the breadth of his dedication to the workers and people of 
Philadelphia, it is unsurprising that his leadership extended even 
further through charitable work. He helped to found the Laborers' 
District Council Charity Fund through an act that, though remarkable, 
was typical of Sam. At a 1987 Friends of Labor Committee dinner held in 
his honor, Sam was presented with $25,000 for his service over the 
years. However, he saw the gift not as a chance to help himself, but an 
opportunity to improve the lives of others. He chose to donate the 
money to charity, which in turn inspired his colleagues and gave birth 
to the Laborers' District Council Charity Fund. Renamed the Samuel 
Staten, Sr., Charitable Trust in 2011, the organization continues to 
provide thousands of dollars in services and scholarships to Local 332 
members in need.
  Throughout his life he fought for the dignity and well-being of hard-
working Americans and, regardless of his success, never forgot his 
roots in the labor movement. He experienced both great success and 
hardship, but regardless of the hand he was dealt, he always saw an 
opportunity to extend that hand to others in need. As he rose through 
the ranks of Local 332, he brought together diverse communities and 
labor interests for the benefit of the community. Even when confronted 
with the tragic death of his son, Qaid Staten, Sam's dedication to the 
community could not be diminished. His son was killed just months 
before he was to attend Howard University, but Sam chose to honor his 
son not through grief, but through the creation of the Qaid Staten 
Memorial Scholarship Fund, which continues to provide support to other 
young students preparing to enter college. Sam's life was a story of 
uncommon acts of kindness in service of the common good.
  On behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a grateful nation, 
I would like to once again extend my deepest condolences to the family 
of Samuel Staten, Sr. Philadelphia and the Nation may have lost a 
distinguished leader, dedicated public servant, and devoted father and 
grandfather, but we will never lose the positive change he brought to 
the city of Philadelphia, the impact he had on the lives of thousands, 
nor the legacy of idealism, compassion, and community service that he 
has left so others may continue to fight for the causes of dignity and 
equality to which he dedicated his life.

                          ____________________