[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 87 (Friday, May 19, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E675]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING MARY HARRISON LEE

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 19, 2017

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable public servant, Mrs. Mary Harrison Lee who was born on July 
22, 1939 in Manila, Philippines to Ida Lloren. She was adopted at an 
early age by Reverend and Mrs. Ernest Harrison. Her adopted father was 
a chaplain in the army giving her the opportunity to live in many 
places, such as Captieux, France, Erlangen, Germany, Fort Riley, 
Kansas, and San Antonio, Texas.
  Mary graduated from Rochefort American High School in France. Upon 
returning to the United States, she visited Tougaloo College and 
immediately fell in love with its quaintness, intimacy, the hanging 
moss from the oak trees, and the family atmosphere. She was convinced 
that this was where she wanted to spend her next four years and 
enrolled in the upcoming semester.
  She became a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. on 
December 13, 1959. She felt the plight of the Civil Rights movement and 
volunteered to become a Freedom Rider. Mary helped lead a ``sit-in'' at 
the Trailways Bus Station in Downtown Jackson. She was arrested and 
jailed during this protest. She did not waiver from the overall mission 
to gain equality for African Americans. As a result, on June 23, 1961, 
Freedom Riders from Tougaloo College set a precedent and became the 
first residents of Mississippi to lead in the movement.
  While at Tougaloo College, Mary met and fell in love with Gene Lee. 
They were married in 1963. She and Gene were natural educators. Mary 
dedicated her working career educating youth. She began as a teacher in 
Picayune, Mississippi; later moving to Kansas City, Missouri. In 1973, 
she relocated with her family to Germany and taught within the 
Department of Defense American School system.
  In 1981, Mary and her family returned to the United States and 
settled in Jackson, Mississippi, where she retired in 2001 as Principal 
from Boyd Elementary School. Mary and Gene were blessed with three 
beautiful children: Geno (Angie), Daryl (Cassie), and Angel (Chris), 
and eight grandchildren: Jessica, Tori, Gabby, Nick, Bella, Alexa, 
McKenzie, and Malita.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mrs. Mary 
Harrison Lee for her dedication to serving.

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