[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 21, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E657]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE LIFE AND UNSELFISH WORK OF A ``HAPPY WARRIOR'' ROY 
                              WEATHERFORD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KATHY CASTOR

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 21, 2020

  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today in admiration to 
honor the life and unselfish work of a ``Happy Warrior'' Roy 
Weatherford. Roy's dedication to justice, equality, peace and worker 
rights is worthy of recognition.
  Roy's significant contributions to society are rooted in his humble 
background. Raised in rural Arkansas with no electricity, education was 
always a top value for his family. While studying at Arkansas Technical 
University, he not only met his partner for life, Doris, but he found 
his causes for life--standing up for working people and against 
injustice. Roy saw firsthand the injustices of the Jim Crow era and was 
inspired by his professors to forgo his studies in math and physics in 
favor of philosophy. And, when the administration fired those 
professors, in a scene that would be repeated often in Roy's career, 
Roy and his friends rallied and circulated petitions to show support 
for their beloved professors. Roy was not as successful as he would be 
later in life in this first foray challenging the powers that be, but 
he never quit fighting from those days forward. Roy graduated at the 
top of his class in 1964 and he took a fellowship at Harvard 
University. A year later, he joined the army as a cryptanalyst just as 
the war in Vietnam was escalating. While still in the Army, on 
assignment near the Pentagon, he and Doris were married.
  Roy returned to Harvard. Always a brilliant student, his master's 
thesis won the Bechtel Prize in philosophy and he graduated with his 
doctorate in 1972. Roy decided to move to Tampa and join the faculty of 
the emerging University of South Florida (USF). Though he of course had 
other options, Roy felt that he could make a bigger impact on people's 
lives at a small upstart school like USF than at a more established 
school in the Northeast. Roy observed that in Massachusetts and even 
Arkansas, community leaders typically come from families that have long 
been dominant. Roy said, ``in Florida, anybody who's willing to work 
can make a difference.'' New England's loss was certainly Florida and 
Tampa's gain, and through his hard work and the differences that he 
made, he proved his adage.
  Just two years after landing in Tampa, Roy was named the chair for 
the USF chapter of United Faculty Florida (UFF). A perfect fit for his 
energy, ability and conscience. He fought tirelessly to get more local 
control for unions and more resources for faculty and students. It has 
been said that he put a face on the faculty and made their needs real. 
After being elected union president in 2001, Roy worked until the union 
was saved. Typically, he went against the grain of the political 
landscape of the day, which was seeking to decertify unions. His 
efforts pressed those at the top to continue to recognize the faculty's 
right to come together. And, when bargaining began locally for the 
first time, Roy's astuteness, passion and commitment resulted in not 
only a contract but one including raises for faculty. He lobbied the 
state government to pass sweeping transformational laws, including 
Florida's exceptional Government-in-the-Sunshine law and often worked 
on local and state committees focused on education and workers' rights. 
Roy set the precedent for how USF and other university administrators 
work with educators, professors and organized labor. By the time of his 
retirement, union membership had doubled. Indeed, it has been said that 
many of UFF's, USF's and organized labor's successes in Florida exist 
because of Roy's advocacy.
  As a scholar, he wrote enthusiastically and intelligibility on world 
peace. As a person, Roy was a loving and tireless advocate for the 
same. Roy and Doris protested the Vietnam War and were active in many 
campaigns and causes--spending countless hours marching in support of 
civil and women's rights. In Doris' words, he was ``concerned and 
passionate and principled.''
  Madam Speaker, on behalf of my neighbors in Tampa Bay, Florida and 
citizens across the United States, I am proud to honor Roy Weatherford 
for his lifelong dedication to justice, working people and giving a 
voice to those who often were not allowed to have one. Roy showed us 
what service above self, passion, empathy, and action look like.

                          ____________________