[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 155 (Wednesday, September 27, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1279-E1280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN RECOGNITION OF WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY RENAMING RESIDENCE HALLS 
                    IN HONOR OF DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

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                          HON. DEBBIE DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 27, 2017

  Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today on the occasion of Western 
Michigan University recognizing a lifetime of work by three leaders who 
bonded in college and remained friends through life, by naming two 
residence halls within the Western Heights complex Hall-Archer-Pickard 
West and East. These dormitories are being renamed in celebration of 
three legendary Western Michigan graduates, and their legacy will 
inspire generations of university students to come.
  Ronald Hall Sr., Dennis Archer, and William Pickard attended Western 
Michigan University in the 1960s and enjoyed membership in Alpha Phi 
Alpha Fraternity, America's first intercollegiate African-American 
fraternity. The three men's undergraduate experience at Western 
Michigan University instilled a desire to give back to the greater 
Michigan community and invest in meaningful educational and social 
change throughout the state. Hall, Archer, and Pickard are remembered 
for the close, meaningful friendship they cultivated at Western 
Michigan and their passion to make change after graduating.
  After graduating from Western Michigan University, the three men 
remained in Michigan to influence change to the community they love. 
Ronald Hall Sr. served as president of the Michigan Minority Business 
Development Council and founded Bridgewater Interiors, LLC. He passed 
away in May 2016, and is remembered for turning Michigan's Minority 
Business Development Council into one of the country's lead minority 
business organizations. Dennis Archer served as Mayor of Detroit from 
1994 to 2001, and has served as president of the American Bar 
Association and on the Michigan Supreme Court. William Pickard is an 
executive member of the NAACP Detroit Branch, and is the founder of the 
Michigan-based Global Automotive Alliance. Their post-graduate work has 
impacted countless lives and opened doors wider for students of color, 
and their friendship is a testament to the meaningful bonds forged 
during college.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Western 
Michigan University and

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their three distinguished alumni, Ronald Hall Sr., Dennis Archer, and 
William Pickard. Their influence and community engagement will make a 
difference for decades to come.

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