[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 41 (Monday, March 2, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E244]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING RUTHIE MAE RANSOM MORRIS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 2, 2020

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable public servant, Mrs. Ruthie Mae Ransom Morris.
  Ruthie Mae Ransom Morris was born on October 24, 1942 in Leland, 
Mississippi, to Henry Parker Ransom, Sr. and Blanche Johnson Ransom. 
She was the sixth of their ten (10) children.
  Ruthie accepted Christ at an early age and was baptized under the 
leadership of her uncle, Reverend Clarence Johnson, who was the Founder 
and Senior Pastor of the Shady Grove South Missionary Baptist Church 
(SGSMBC) in Greenville, Mississippi. During her years at SGSMBC, Ruthie 
sang in the Senior Choir, typed and printed the Church bulletins, 
organized special events, and served as a trusted confidant and adviser 
to Reverend Clarence Johnson as well as to his successor, Pastor 
Solomon B. Miller. Following Pastor Miller's departure from SGSMBC, 
Ruthie continued to serve under Pastor Gregory C. Lance, Sr., who, like 
Pastor Miller, not only became the Senior Pastor of SGSMBC, but was 
also ``a spiritual son'' to Ruthie.
  In 1997, Ruthie joined Agape Storge Christian Center (ASCC) under the 
leadership of Dr. Thomas Paul Williams, who was a lifelong family 
friend and former member of SGSMBC.
  During her years at ASCC, Ruthie served as a Greeter before answering 
God's call for her to become an ordained minister. In 2011, Ruthie 
obtained her Minister's License after graduating from the ASCC School 
of Ministry. She faithfully served on the Ministry Team until her 
health began to fail in April of 2019.
  Ruthie was educated in the Bolivar County Public Schools in Rosedale, 
Mississippi and in the Greenville Public Schools where she graduated 
from Coleman High School in the Class of 1960. She also attended Alcorn 
A&M College in Lorman, Mississippi where she first majored in Early 
Elementary Education. However, after her first day of practice teaching 
with a classroom full of young children, Ruthie quickly realized that 
she was in the wrong field and changed her major to Business 
Administration. She was the first of her siblings to both graduate from 
high school and attend college.
  After leaving Alcorn A&M College, Ruthie returned home to Greenville 
where she worked as a Secretary in the Greenville Public Schools at 
T.L. Weston High School and E.E. Bass Jr. High School before starting 
her banking career as a Teller. Throughout her career in banking, she 
worked at various banks including Commercial National Bank, Trustmark 
Bank, and Sunburst Bank, which later became Union Planters Bank before 
eventually becoming present day Regions Bank.
  Ruthie's natural gift for accurately and speedily counting money; her 
excellent people skills; and her strong work ethic led to her meteoric 
rise in every bank where she worked. Not only was she chosen to train 
numerous Tellers who came after her, but she eventually became the 
first African-American Branch Manager of a bank in Greenville, 
Mississippi.
  After retiring from Regions Bank, in the summer of 1996, Ruthie was 
hired as the Office Manager at lnfipro Security for several years 
before her love for both ministry and business led her to become the 
Bookkeeper at The Salvation Army in Greenville, Mississippi. She 
``officially'' ended her work career when she retired from her 
bookkeeping position at The Salvation Army in 2012. However, in 2016, 
Ruthie was recruited to become the Office Manager at Jackson Heating 
and Air Conditioning where she remained for two (2) years and acquired 
yet another ``spiritual son,'' Malcom Jackson, who was her boss.
  Despite being a working mom with three (3) children, Ruthie still 
found time to be civically and politically active in her community. For 
more than thirty (30) years, Ruthie served on the Board of Directors of 
the Brent Daycare Center, which later became known as The Greenville 
Daycare and Learning Center (TGDALC). While serving on the Board of 
TGDALC, Ruthie worked closely with her fellow Board Members as well as 
various Directors, including Ruby Gloria Washington, who also became a 
close friend of Ruthie's; and Dollie Creath, who became a mentee of 
Ruthie's. Throughout her years on the Board of TGDALC, Ruthie formed 
strategic partnerships with various agencies to secure the necessary 
funding in order to ensure that numerous children throughout the South 
End and all over the City of Greenville were able to obtain an 
excellent pre-school education. She remained on the Board of Directors 
of TGDALC until it eventually closed its doors.
  In addition to her civic engagements with several organizations 
including her beloved Coleman High School Class of 1960, Ruthie was 
passionate about politics. In fact, she canvassed Delta neighborhoods 
and traveled around the State of Mississippi in order to get Democratic 
candidates elected on the local, state, and national levels.
  For many years, Ruthie was an active member of the Washington County 
Democratic Party, and she worked closely with the Democratic National 
Committee (DNC). She not only campaigned for State Democratic 
candidates such as Robert Clark, but in 1987, Ruthie campaigned 
diligently to elect Mike Espy to the U.S. House of Representatives (MS 
2nd District). Then, in 1993, she helped to secure victory for Bennie 
Thompson when he successfully ran for Mississippi's same 2nd 
Congressional seat after Mike Espy became the U.S. Secretary of 
Agriculture.
  In 1988, while serving as the Precinct Captain of 3-1, Ruthie 
galvanized the highest voter turnout in the precinct's history, which 
played a pivotal role in electing Mississippi's 60th Governor, Raymond 
Mabus, Jr.
  In 1993 and 1994, Ruthie was also instrumental in helping to elect 
Greenville attorneys, Johnnie E. Walls, Jr. and Willie Bailey to the 
Mississippi State Senate (12th Senatorial District) and the Mississippi 
State House of Representatives (49th District), respectively.
  Because Ruthie was such a gracious hostess who maintained a lovely 
home, she was often called upon to host visiting dignitaries at her 
residence, including The Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr., Minister Louis 
Farrakhan, Judge James Earl Graves, Jr., and former Atlanta Mayor 
Andrew Young's daughter, Andrea Young, just to name a few.
  Moreover, long before the ``Me Too Movement,'' Ruthie recognized the 
need for women to hold political offices. As a result, she served as 
the Campaign Manager or as a volunteer for numerous female candidates, 
including Vernita King Johnson, Bernadine Young (Deceased), Laverne 
Moore Holmes, Margaret Carey-McCray, and Estelle Pryor, among others.
  Ruthie was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Blanche; her 
siblings, Martha (Bay) Birkhead Brewer, Alma Catherine (Gloria) Ransom, 
Marguerite (Sister) Clark, Betty Jean (Beh Jean) Walker, Henry (Bay 
Brother/Ramp) Ransom, Jr., Clarence (Scrappy) Ransom, and Charles 
(Bimbo) Ransom. She will be missed by many more.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mrs. 
Ruthie Mae Ransom Morris for her dedication to serving others and 
giving back to her community.

                          ____________________