[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 28, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E401]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING RILEY RICE

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 28, 2017

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable public servant, Mr. Riley Rice.
  Mr. Rice has extensive experience in the field of education and 
municipal government.
  Mr. Rice was born on August 8, 1943, the fifth child of the late 
Robert Rice, a World War I Veteran and sharecropper, and Katie Rice, a 
housewife.
  Mr. Rice is a resident of Indianola, Mississippi, and was educated in 
the former Indianola Public School District. He is a 1963 graduate of 
Gentry High School; 1967 graduate of Mississippi Valley State 
University with a Bachelor of Science in Social Science Education; 1992 
graduate of Delta State University with a Master's in High School 
Counseling; and further studies in Political Science at Mississippi 
State University.
  Along with Mr. Rice's background in education, he worked 35 years in 
the Sunflower County School District. He served 16 years on the 
Indianola Board of Aldermen and 8 years as Vice-Mayor.
  Mr. Rice participated in the Civil Rights Movement in 1965. He was 
jailed for attending the former Seymour Library and for a sit-in at the 
Traveler's Inn Restaurant. He participated in many marches throughout 
Sunflower County and he marched with Fannie Lou Hamer and Charles 
Scattergood.
  Presently, Mr. Rice serves as Supervisor of Sunflower County, 
District 2; is a member of the P16 Council; a member of the Cares 
Mentoring Program, and Vice President of the Sunflower County Branch 
5333 of the NAACP.
  Lastly, Mr. Rice is a devoted Christian and an ordained Deacon at 
Traveler's Rest M.B. Church, where he serves as Chairman of the Deacon 
Board and Superintendent of the Sunday School. The Pastor of Traveler's 
Rest M.B. Church is Rev. T.L. Martin, Jr. of Cleveland, Mississippi.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mr. Riley 
Rice for his dedication to serving others and giving back to the 
African American community.

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