[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 186 (Tuesday, November 14, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1565]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF REVEREND MARY EDITH MOODY

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                        HON. CEDRIC L. RICHMOND

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 14, 2017

  Mr. RICHMOND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy 
of Reverend Mary Edith Moody, a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who 
passed away on October 28, 2017 at the age of 91.
  Rev. Moody was born on July 29, 1926, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She 
was one of nine siblings in a family of modest means. Her father, Mr. 
James Nathaniel Moody Sr., was a supervisor of Negro Schools in West 
Baton Rouge and her mother was a teacher. After graduating from high 
school at Southern University Lab School in 1943, she earned two 
degrees from Southern University: one in business education and the 
other in secondary education. She later earned a master's degree in 
education from Louisiana State University and a certificate of theology 
from the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
  Rev. Moody taught English and business education to visually impaired 
children for more than 30 years at the Louisiana State School for the 
Blind at Southern University--and was one of five teachers named 
Outstanding Secondary Educator of America from a field of 5,000 
candidates--before retiring from her teaching career to become one of 
the first female ministers for the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
  Rev. Moody was ordained in 1976 and assigned to Black Creek AME 
Church in Darlington that same day. During her pastoral career, she 
served as pastor at Mount Everett AME Church in St. Helena Parish and 
Heard AME Church in Baton Rouge and eventually became an associate 
pastor at Bethel AME Church on South Street.
  Rev. Moody received numerous awards for service, commitment and 
leadership, including the Powell-Reznikoff Award from the Baton Rouge 
Council on Human Relations in 2001 along with the first Mid City 
Community Lifetime Achievement Medal in 2004 at the age of 77. Also, 
she was a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., for more than 
70 years.
  Rev. Moody devoted herself to numerous Baton Rouge community 
organizations, advocating for children, African Americans, women, the 
poor, and anyone facing hardship. We cannot match the sacrifices made 
by Rev. Moody, but surely we can try to match her sense of service. We 
cannot match her courage, but we can strive to match her devotion.
  Rev. Mary Edith Moody survivors include her sister, Ms. Martha E. 
Moody Boone; Brother, Mr. Charles David Moody, Sr.; and Sister-in-Law, 
Ms. Dorothy Johnson Moody; twenty-four Nieces and Nephew; a host of 
Grand-, Great-Grand-, and Great-Great-Great-Nieces and Nephew; and a 
host of surrogate sons and daughters.
  Mr. Speaker, I celebrate the life and legacy of Reverend Mary Edith 
Moody a beloved daughter, sister, and grandmother as well as a true 
example of Baton Rouge culture personified

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