[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 27, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E226-E227]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING ROBERT LEE BEASLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 27, 2018

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. 
Robert Lee Beasley.
  Mr. Robert Lee Beasley is a native of Greenwood, MS. He is the second 
child born to Hattie B. Lewis-Beasley and Willie B. McQueen. He is a 
1977 graduate of Greenwood High School. While in High School, he 
participated in the Bulldog Marching Band and NJROTC drill team. His 
senior year he was voted ``most likely to succeed''. After graduating 
from High School he joined the United States Army and trained to be a 
Military Policeman. After completing Basic Training and AIT, he was 
shipped off to West Germany. He served most of his military tour in 
Karlsrhue, West Germany as a physical security Military Policeman.
  In April of 1979, Mr. Beasley's mother became ill and he hopped a 
Concorde cargo jet from Frankfurt, Germany to John F. Kennedy airport 
in New York on emergency leave. In May of 1979, his mother passed away. 
His First Sargent granted him a hardship discharge under honorable 
conditions. After returning home, he became the youngest policeman in 
the city of Greenwood, Mississippi at age 20. The fall of that same 
year he enrolled in the undergraduate criminal Justice program at 
Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi. While at Jackson State 
University, he became President of the American Criminal Justice 
Association. He represented the criminal justice department at the 
1984, Black Caucus Banquet in Jackson, Mississippi. He played trumpet 
as a member of Jackson State University ``Sonic Boom of the South 
Marching Band''. Robert was also a candidate for officer school through 
the JSU Army ROTC program. The 114th Military Police Unit in Clinton, 
MS would not allow him to participate in the Officers slow, a part of 
the ROTC requirement.
  In May of 1986, he graduated from Jackson State University with a 
B.S. degree in Criminal Justice. That same year he became the Director 
of Security for JSU Marching Band. That next year in 1988, he was hired 
as a Campus Policeman for the University. In 1985, he was hired at 
Tougaloo College as Campus Security. The fall of 1986, he was hired as 
a Correctional Officer for The State of Mississippi Department of 
Corrections, Rankin County Correctional Facility. Mr. Beasley remained 
there until June of 1988. The Fall of 1988, he enrolled in JSU graduate 
Criminal Justice program. Robert completed 30 hours of academic credits 
toward graduation. In the spring of 1993, he moved to Milwaukee, WI. 
Within two weeks he was hired as a Learnfare Case Manager. He was 
responsible for assisting families with determining barriers for 
children not attending school regularly or dropped out. He engaged with 
local school officials and principals to reintegrate the child back 
into a traditional classroom or find an Alternative School so the child 
may graduate with a High School Diploma. Robert worked as a Foster Care 
Case Manager for the Institute for Child and Family Development, 
Milwaukee, WI. He investigated allegations of abuse and/or neglect for 
minors. Testified in Court as to the suitability to return the child 
home or place him or her in a foster home. He developed a dispositional 
order to terminate parental rights. I worked as a Wraparound 
Coordinator for at risk kids for the Center for Child and Family 
Services, Milwaukee, WI. His last employment in Milwaukee was with the 
Wisconsin Welfare Reform Program as a Financial Employment Planner III. 
He assisted families and individuals to move from dependency on the 
government to self-sufficiency.
  In March of 2004, Robert returned to Mississippi as a caretaker for 
two mentally ill brothers. The only Job he could get in Greenwood was 
in the meat department at the Greenwood Market Place. Four months into 
the job, he met Dr. Roy Hudson, Vice President of University Relations 
at Mississippi Valley State University. Shortly after meeting Dr.

[[Page E227]]

Hudson in June 2005, he was hired as the Technical Assistant for 
Department of Admissions and Recruitment for the Valley. In 2006, while 
working full-time and attending graduate criminal justice program at 
Valley, he survived a heart attack and had to drop out of school and 
stop working for a while. February of 2008, he became a Career 
Specialist with Arbor Education and Training. Robert taught a job 
readiness program called C.E.O. to young adults under the age of 20. In 
2010, he joined Thompson-Clemons Post 200 of the American Legion in 
Greenwood, Mississippi. He was appointed as Public Relations and has 
served in that capacity since joining the organization. He is 
responsible for reflecting the Post to the public through media. My 
office and Mr. Beasley conduct a Veterans Town Hall meeting annually. 
The Directors of the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center and 
Regional Office are invited to attend this meeting, which allow 
Veterans to speak directly with those in charge of servicing that 
population.
  Presently, he is a candidate for a Masters of Social Work from 
Mississippi Valley State University. He is married to Dorothy F. Smith-
Beasley. Robert has three grown children and a step-daughter. He is a 
Veterans Resource Coordinator for AmeriCorps, Mississippi Veterans 
Support Network. Robert is passionate about outstanding customer 
service for those who served this great country honorably. He assists 
Veterans with filing compensation claims and gathering evidence to 
support their claims. Mississippi Veterans Support Network Program 
works in collaboration with AmeriCorps, Department of Veterans Affairs, 
and the Department of Rehabilitation. Our mission is to connect 
veterans and/or family members of active duty military members to 
existing resources, dealing with military benefits, connections with 
the Veterans Administration on line registration, financial training, 
suicide prevention, and PTSD available treatment.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Robert 
Beasley, a Veteran, Educator, Leader and Public Servant, for his 
dedication to serving others and giving back to the African American 
community.

                          ____________________