[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 46 (Thursday, March 15, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E322]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                     REMEMBERING MILLIE DUNN VEASEY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 15, 2018

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
life and legacy of Millie Dunn Veasey, a World War II veteran, civil 
rights pioneer, and community leader, who passed away this past Friday 
at the age of 100. My wife Lisa and I extend condolences to her family 
and her extensive network of friends and admirers as we celebrate her 
remarkable life.
  Born and raised in Raleigh as one of six children, Millie graduated 
from Washington High School in 1942 and enlisted in the ``six-triple-
eight'' battalion, the only all-female and all-black battalion to serve 
overseas during World War II. She was stationed in England for four 
months before transferring to France where she served as a supply 
officer, rising to the rank of Staff Sergeant. At the end of the war in 
1945, she was selected for Officer Candidate School, but decided 
instead to continue her education.
  Millie returned to Raleigh to attend Saint Augustine's College on the 
G.I. Bill. She graduated in 1953 with a degree in business 
administration and later obtained a master's degree at N.C. Central 
University. She taught business education and eighth grade English for 
four years in Matthews, Virginia, before returning to Raleigh to serve 
as secretary to then-President of Saint Augustine's College, James 
Boyer.
  In addition to her secretarial duties, Millie joined the NAACP and 
eventually became the first African American female president of the 
Wake County chapter. In that role, she came to know and work with local 
and national civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 
and Thurgood Marshall and hosted Dr. King for his 1966 visit to 
Raleigh. In addition to her work in the NAACP, she served in leadership 
roles in her sorority, Zeta Phi Beta, and was active in the National 
Federation of Democratic Women and the American Legion. She and her 
husband, Warren Veasey, had two children, Juanita and Warren, Jr.
  Mrs. Veasey retired from St. Augustine's in 1986 as director of 
career planning and placement. She continued to serve her community by 
teaching Sunday school at St. Ambrose Episcopal Church and was a 
mainstay of the Raleigh veterans' community. I have fond memories of 
visiting with her at community events around Veterans' Day. ``It's 
something about the group,'' she said of her fellow veterans. 
``Regardless of where you are, there is a bond there that one can never 
break.''
  In an interview in the Raleigh News & Observer, Mrs. Veasey offered 
sage advice for living a meaningful life: ``Keep busy and do something 
for somebody.'' She exemplified this maxim through her decades of 
dedicated service and effective leadership, inspiring many to follow in 
her path. We join with Mrs. Veasey's family, her many friends and 
admirers, and members of the communities she served, in mourning her 
passing and honoring her extraordinary life of leadership and service.

                          ____________________