[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 95 (Thursday, June 6, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E723]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF CHAIRMAN H. CARL McCALL ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM THE 
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK'S BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND CELEBRATION OF HIS 
                     FIFTY YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE

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                         HON. ADRIANO ESPAILLAT

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 6, 2019

  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, for more than five decades, H. Carl 
McCall has always been a steward for public good and will go down in 
New York's history as a monument to public service.
  Before he turned thirty, McCall worked as a school teacher, served in 
the U.S. Army, and opened a church. This is a testament to his 
character and unbridled work-ethic. Born in the Roxbury neighborhood of 
Boston, Massachusetts, McCall eventually made New York City his home, 
where his indelible impact is seen to this day.
  Spanning multiple administrations, McCall has been elevated to 
positions of greater and greater import. It is not lost on New Yorkers 
or observers of his body of work that he has risen to meet many 
daunting challenges and emerged successful. During his career in public 
service, McCall has served as New York State Senator, a delegate to the 
United Nations, Commissioner of the New York Division of Human Rights, 
President of the New York City Board of Education, and Commissioner of 
the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. With his long list of 
roles and accolades, we cannot speak of H. Carl McCall without 
recognizing his groundbreaking achievement as the first African 
American to hold statewide office in New York State as Comptroller 
serving from 1993 to 2002.
  But for all his accomplishments, we all know that public education 
has always been a passion and priority since McCall was a teacher 
himself. As president of the New York City Board of Education under 
Mayor David Dinkins from 1991 to 1992, his vision guided policy for one 
of the largest public-school systems in the U.S.
  It was always his belief that public education was the incubator for 
personal growth and scholastic enrichment. This was exemplified in his 
leadership as the chairman of the Public Higher Education Conference 
Board and later member and chairman of the State University of New York 
(SUNY) Board of Trustees. He has served on the board since 2011 and has 
presided over a significant expansion of SUNY's academic curriculum and 
the diversification of its administration, faculty and student body.
  Over his long and distinguished career, McCall has been awarded nine 
honorary degrees, in addition to his own degrees from Dartmouth 
College, the University of Edinburgh and Master of Divinity from 
Andover Newton Theological School. He has also received the Nelson 
Rockefeller Distinguished Public Service Award from the University of 
Albany.
  On behalf of the New York Congressional Delegation in the U.S. House 
of Representatives in the 116th Congress, we want to congratulate H. 
Carl McCall on his retirement after ten years of service with the State 
University of New York Board of Trustees and thank him for his half-
century of public service to New York and our nation.

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