[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 198 (Tuesday, December 5, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1656]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  PROCLAMATION FOR DR. KEITH E. BAIRD

                                 ______
                                 

                  HON. HENRY C. ``HANK'' JOHNSON, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 5, 2017

  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the 
following proclamation for Dr. Keith E. Baird:
  Whereas, our lives have been touched by the leadership and service of 
Dr. Keith E. Baird; and
  Whereas, Dr. Keith E. Baird was born on January 20, 1923 in Barbados, 
West Indies, he came to the United States in 1947 and began his college 
studies at Columbia University studying Spanish, Romance Philology and 
Linguistics, where he earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees. He 
earned his doctoral degree in Sociolinguistics from the Union Graduate 
Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio; and
  Whereas, Dr. Baird was an educator, author, advocate and 
administrator, he served and led our nation in many different roles. As 
a founding member of the African American Teachers Association in the 
late sixties, he proved to be a key actor in the nascent community 
control movement in Ocean Hill-Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York. As a 
steadfast pillar of our community, pioneered the teaching methods of 14 
different languages in high schools and colleges. He was a community 
leader involved in the civic and educational direction of thousands in 
our nation. Along with his wife, Mrs. Mary A. Twining Baird, they 
educated us through the literary master piece ``Sea Island Roots: The 
African Presence in the Carolinas and Georgia''; and
  Whereas, Dr. Baird was lauded as a ``scholar's scholar and an 
educator's educator''. He was a community builder who served my 
district without bounds. His influence, inspiration and motivation of 
many have helped to mold our district in becoming more inclusive. He 
has opened the minds and hearts of thousands; and
  Whereas, he never asked for fame or fortune, nor found a job too 
small or too big; he gave of himself, his time, his talent and his life 
to uplift those in need by demonstrating unwavering commitment to 
educate, serve and goodwill; and
  Whereas, he was a husband, a father, a brother and a friend; he was a 
man of great integrity who remained true to the uplifting of humanity 
on an international scale; and
  Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the Fourth District of Georgia 
recognizes Dr. Keith E. Baird as a citizen of great worth and so noted 
distinction; now therefore, I, Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr. do hereby 
attest to the 115th Congress that Dr. Keith E. Baird is deemed worthy 
and deserving of this ``Congressional Honor'' by declaring Dr. Keith E. 
Baird, U.S. Citizen of Distinction in the 4th Congressional District of 
Georgia.
  Proclaimed, this 12th day of August, 2017.

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