[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 139 (Friday, August 25, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1148]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





       CELEBRATING THE SIXTH COUNCILL TRAINING ALL-SCHOOL REUNION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, August 25, 2017

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, today I am proud to bring 
greetings to the Sixth Councill Training All-School Reunion. As the 
first black Congresswoman from Alabama, I know I owe a debt of 
gratitude to the Councill Training School family.
  As Huntsville's only school for African Americans before 
desegregation, Councill Training School represents an important piece 
of civil rights history in Alabama. Until desegregation in 1970, the 
school educated the entire black population of Huntsville, servicing 
students from kindergarten to twelfth grade.
  Councill Training School is near and dear to my heart. Both of my 
parents began their careers as educators at Councill Training School 
after graduating from Alabama State University. My mother, Nancy 
Gardner was the school librarian while my father, Coach Andrew A. 
Sewell, was the basketball, football, and track coach. It was on the 
hallowed grounds of Councill Training School that my parents met and 
fell in love. In June of 1963, they married and bought their first 
house. My mother often tells me the story of how when I was born a few 
years later, the head cheerleader at the time named me, and I 
immediately became the ``Councill Training School Baby''. Councill 
Training School was our family's first home, and will always hold a 
special place in our heart.
  The legacy of Councill Training School is one of excellence and 
pride, and will live on in the hearts of the students, faculty, staff 
and community that it shaped. I am honored to be able to join the 
classes of 1948 through 1970 in celebrating the Sixth Councill Training 
School Reunion and hope there are many more to come.

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