[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 53 (Wednesday, March 27, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E359-E360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF FLORIDA B. THOMAS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 27, 2019

  Mr. HASTINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and 
legacy of Mrs. Florida B. Thomas. Florida was a selfless member of her 
community and spent her life serving others. She was a woman of strong 
values and always worked to help her community through her church and 
her jobs as a teacher and librarian.
  Florida was born in Tallahassee, Florida in 1938. She attended 
Florida A&M University where she received her Bachelor of Science

[[Page E360]]

degree in Library Science, before continuing her education at the 
University of South Florida where she received a Master's in 
Administration and Supervision.
  She served for 59 years at Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist 
Church, where she was on the finance committee and served as a choir 
member and secretary. In addition to serving at her church, Florida 
worked for 40 years as a teacher within the Hendry County School 
System. After retiring from teaching, Florida felt she could still 
serve her community so she began working as a full-time librarian at 
the Harlem Library where she worked until she retired in 2014.
  Throughout her career, Florida was recognized again and again for her 
hard work and dedication to those around her. She was the first black 
librarian in the state of Florida within the integrated school system 
and was named ``Children Intermediate School (CIS) Teacher of the 
Year'' in 1987. She was also an active member of The Order of the 
Eastern Star fraternity. In May, 2017 the Harlem Community Library was 
re-named in her honor, and now serves the community as the Florida B. 
Thomas Library. And, just last year, she was honored with The Heritage 
Award for 2018.
  Madam Speaker, Florida Thomas was a champion for her community and 
she positively impacted the lives of many in Harlem and surrounding 
communities. I extend my deepest condolences to her husband, Melvin, 
and the rest of her friends and family during this extremely difficult 
time. Florida Thomas was a blessing to our community and I am proud to 
honor her memory today. She will be dearly missed.

                          ____________________