[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 134 (Tuesday, August 14, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1147]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                     REMEMBERING SHIRLEY ANN BYARD

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 14, 2018

  Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of 
Shirley Ann Byard, who passed away on August 5, 2018.
  Mrs. Byard was born in Scotland County, North Carolina on November 
13, 1940 as one of nine daughters of Clyde and Pauline Bennett. She 
graduated from West Badin High School, Badin, NC in 1958. Mrs. Byard 
attended Barber-Scotia College and Winston Salem State University and 
received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University in 1972. 
While attending Winston Salem State, Mrs. Byard participated in the 
Woolworth Lunch Counter protests during the Civil Rights Movement.
  Mrs. Byard came to Trenton in 1962 and later worked for the City of 
Trenton for 30 years. She retired in 2002 as the Program Coordinator 
for the Office on Aging. Prior to that Mrs. Byard held numerous 
positions in the city, state, and nonprofit sectors.
  Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Byard was a lifetime member of the N.A.A.C.P., 
member of the National Political Congress of Black Women, member of the 
Urban League Guild of Metropolitan Trenton and Delta Sigma Theta 
Sorority, Inc. She was also a long-time member of the Bronzettes, Inc. 
in affiliation with the New Jersey Federation of Colored Women's Clubs. 
Mrs. Byard was also a devoted and faithful member of Shiloh Baptist 
Church. While with family in Maryland, she fellowshipped at Community 
of Hope A.M.E. Church in Temple Hills.
  I am grateful for Mrs. Byard's work in the Trenton area. Not only was 
she a loving wife, and proud mother and grandmother, she was also a 
faithful and uplifting presence for her entire community--particularly 
seniors. I personally found her to be remarkably generous in her 
kindness to everyone she encountered.
  Mr. Speaker, frankly, we need more Shirley Ann Byards. I am happy 
that she leaves a shining example for future generations to emulate. It 
is an honor to share with the United States House of Representatives 
the memory of Shirley. The Trenton community, and in fact our nation as 
a whole, was made better through her selfless work and tireless 
service.
  With that, on behalf of my constituents in the greater Trenton area, 
I ask that my colleagues join me in commemorating the wonderful life 
and legacy of Shirley Ann Byard.

                          ____________________