[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 112 (Monday, June 28, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E706]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN HONOR OF DAVID BLUFORD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GREGORY W. MEEKS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 28, 2021

  Mr. MEEKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of my late 
constituent, friend, and mentor, David Bluford. David lived a life 
dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, and to the betterment of the 
people around him. He was a husband, father, writer, educator, scholar, 
and a leader to his community.
  While so many people might spend their lives and careers scrambling 
for wealth or power, David was the embodiment of a public servant. In 
his decades as an educator, he served as a college professor, high 
school principal, junior high school teacher and the director of the 
Upward Bound program at Queens College. David's colleagues remember how 
fervently he advocated for the students. His students remember him for 
the way he guided them towards wisdom, and towards greater versions of 
themselves.
  As a young man and throughout his life, David sought out 
opportunities to develop himself in all aspects. He was inducted into 
the Fayetteville State University Basketball Hall of Fame and served in 
the Korean War. He studied Education and Political Philosophy at five 
different colleges including Walden College and Columbia University, 
ultimately earning his PhD.
  David was also a talented writer. He wrote for papers including the 
New York Voice, New York Daily News, and the National Association of 
Secondary Principals, where he wrote a guide for new principals 
preparing to work in underserved communities, as he did during his 
career. Though he was an excellent leader, David didn't treat education 
like a strict hierarchy, rather an exchange. He never stopped learning, 
and he inspired other educators around him to continue to learn, too. 
He treated his students with dignity.
  One of David's favorite quotes, said by Confucius, was ``Choose the 
job you love, and you will never work a day in your life.'' What David 
loved was service. He didn't just have a community-oriented career, but 
a community-oriented lifestyle. He was Chairman of the Alpha Phi Alpha 
Senior Citizens Center in Queens, and a recipient of countless awards--
including New York City School District 29's Distinguished Service 
Award, the Outstanding Educator Award from the NAACP's board in 
Jamaica, New York, the Jackie Robinson Junior High School Man of the 
Year Award. He participated in several service-oriented organizations 
including the Urban League, the Lebanon Lodge of Jamaica, and 32 Degree 
Shriner.
  David's wife of 62 years, Renee, their children, and their 
grandchildren all remember his devotion to his family, his warm heart, 
and his graceful nature towards humanity. As a husband, a father, and a 
grandfather, he leaves an everlasting mark on those who were so blessed 
to know him.
  In all aspects of his life, David Bluford was authentic. When the 
opportunity presented itself to help someone else, to share knowledge, 
or to be a resource, he seized that opportunity. Few fields let us 
serve our communities as directly as education does. David taught more 
than just English or Philosophy--he taught character. In being such a 
brilliant example to his students and fellow community members, David 
inspired change in countess lives.
  When he as just 17 years old, David converted to Catholicism and so 
began a new relationship with his faith. Through his life and works, 
David shared his faith in God with his family and friends. We know that 
David's faith guided more than just his thoughts or words but his 
actions too. Few verses capture that like Isaiah 58:10--``If you pour 
yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, 
then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the 
noonday.'' David's life work is the embodiment of this scripture. His 
life philosophy was one of cognitive, academic, emotional, and 
spiritual development. Not just for himself or for his students, but 
for every person in his life. All of us, as public servants ourselves, 
can learn from his example.

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