[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 5 (Monday, January 9, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E35-E36]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO KAYE FRANCES WILLIAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 9, 2017

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
extraordinary life of Kaye Frances Williams, formerly of Selma, 
Alabama--a childhood friend, outstanding lawyer, devoted wife, doting 
aunt, amazing sister, loving daughter and special friend to many.
   Born on January 4, 1962, Kaye was the eldest daughter of the late 
Martha and Fred D. Williams, Jr. and the sister to my childhood best 
friend Kimberly Joyce Williams, whom I affectionately called ``Kimmie 
Jo''.
   Every childhood memory I have includes the Williams family. I can 
still see that house in Lakewood and I will never forget that home 
telephone number. I am so grateful for the love and support I received 
from the Williams family. I spent so much time with them that I even 
called their parents Uncle Fred and T-Mart. I can still smell the aroma 
of their mother's homemade fried chicken--Colonel Sanders had nothing 
on T-Mart's chicken.
   Kaye grew up a true ``Southern Belle'' from the most affluent 
African American family in the historic town of Selma, Alabama. The 
Williams were the epitome of black high society in Selma. The Williams 
family owned Black Selma--they were the premier florist, owning Fred's 
Flower and Gift Shop as well as JH Williams Funeral Home. They were the 
top educators, entrepreneurs, doctors and philanthropists. The Williams 
family had it ``goin on''. They even summered at Cape May--when black 
folks in Selma didn't even know Jersey had a shore.
   Deprived of female siblings myself, Kim was my sister/BFF and Kaye 
was ``our big sister''. Kaye had it all--she was beautiful, smart, fun 
and talented--Kaye was the girl we all wanted to be.
   Kaye Frances Williams was a trailblazer. She blazed the trail that 
so many of us in Selma aspired to follow. I set my own goals by the 
achievements of Kaye Williams. I wanted to be a debater because Kaye 
was the first black debater at Selma High School. I wanted to be in 
student government because Kaye was the first black President of the 
Selma

[[Page E36]]

High Student Council. I wanted to be the valedictorian because Kaye 
graduated top of the Class of 1979 at Selma High and then attended 
Goucher College and Georgetown Law School. I wanted to be a securities 
lawyer because Kaye was a top lawyer at the Securities Exchange 
Commission. Like so many others, I spent my life trying to live up to 
Kaye's exceptionalism.
   I will never forget the summer of 1984 when Kim and I, as college 
students, lived in Kaye's apartment and worked in Washington, DC while 
Kaye was a summer associate in a Los Angeles law firm. What a summer--
Kim and I knew we were truly grown--living in DC in our big sister's 
apartment with a car. Being a responsible elder, Kaye left us a list of 
``Dos & Don'ts'' which we promptly ignored. What precious memories Kim 
and I made that summer--all because of Kaye. Those were the days.
   Kaye emanated a bright light that blazed a path that will shine on 
in the lives of the many people she impacted. She was beloved by her 
family and she was the ``Best Aunt ever'' to Kim's children--McKenzie 
and Madison. Kaye met every challenge in life with the same fierce 
determination and indomitable spirit that helped her succeed in every 
endeavor she undertook. She graciously assumed the mantle of the 
matriarch of the Williams family when her parents died and she was the 
devoted caregiver to her loving husband Earl.
   On December 7, 2016, that bright light dimmed far too soon. Kaye 
Williams had many more miles to go before she slept. Although Kaye will 
be missed by us all, let us find comfort in the fact that she will 
forever live in the hearts of so many people she nurtured, influenced, 
and affected. Kaye would not want us to mourn her but rather she would 
want us to celebrate the extraordinary life she led and be inspired by 
the example she set.
   I know that I would not be Alabama's first black Congresswoman had 
Kaye Frances Williams not been my ``Big Sister''. My gratitude is 
immeasurable and I will seek to repay that debt by ensuring that the 
path she blazed in Selma, Alabama shall never be extinguished but will 
continue to light the way for the next generation of brilliant, 
beautiful and talented African American women.
   On behalf of the 7th Congressional District, the State of Alabama 
and this nation, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the life 
and accomplishments of Kaye Frances Williams.

                          ____________________