[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 112 (Tuesday, July 12, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H4674]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          MAYS' FAMILY REUNION

  (Mr. FARENTHOLD asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a family of 
Texas pioneers who lived in Robstown, Texas, for 108 years. The first 
of the Mays family to settle in Robstown were Ella and Riley, along 
with their 12 children. They arrived in 1912 as the first African 
American family in the city. On August 7 of this year, they will be 
holding a family reunion at the Richard M. Borchard Regional 
Fairgrounds in Robstown.
  Once Ella and Riley settled, they founded the Mt. Zion Missionary 
Baptist Church, which served as both a church and the first public 
African American school in the city. They were important members of the 
community. The city of Robstown even named a street after Riley, who 
served as the deacon and Sunday school teacher of Mt. Zion where Ella 
was a nurse and missionary. Their hard work and dedication to faith, 
family, and community is an inspiration to us all.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the Mays' wonderful 
legacy and lasting impact they have had on Robstown, the Coastal Bend, 
and beyond.
  May God bless you all.

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