[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 134 (Friday, July 30, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E860]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           REMEMBERING THE LEGACY OF DEVOYD ``DEE'' JENNINGS

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                          HON. MARC A. VEASEY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 30, 2021

  Mr. VEASEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the 
legacy of Devoyd ``Dee'' Jennings--a hardworking and dedicated member 
of our Fort Worth community.
  Dee dedicated his life to ensuring the success, strength and mobility 
of the Black community in Fort Worth. Dee was born in 1947 in Fort 
Worth. After graduating from I.M Terrell High School in 1966, he 
attended Tarrant County College and continued his education at Texas 
Wesleyan University where he graduated with a marketing degree in 1971.
  He began his nearly 30 years of service for North Texas with TXU as a 
Community Affairs Specialist, and served as the first Black lobbyist 
for Texas Electric. Dee used his own experiences to help others. He 
quickly became an influential mentor to minorities pursuing careers in 
business as he served on numerous boards including the Texas 
Association of Business, the North Texas Commission, the Texas 
Association of African American Chambers and as a chairman of the 
NTTA's Business Diversity Advisory Committee.
  The pinnacle of Dee's career came when he began his most recent 
position as president and CEO of the Fort Worth Black Chamber of 
Commerce. He left a powerful legacy by using this position to fight for 
economic opportunity for the Black community in Fort Worth.
  Dee also assisted with the creation of two stand-alone organizations 
that directly serve to benefit minority development--the William Mann 
Community Development Corp and Southeast Fort Worth Inc. Because of his 
work with local government bodies, he was able to establish minority 
and women-owned business enterprise goals.
  His long and appreciated service to the community of Fort Worth has 
been honored as he was a proud receiver of the Minority Leaders in 
Business Award in 2017 and was recognized with a proclamation for 
Devoyd Jennings Day.
  Devoyd ``Dee'' Jennings--a public servant, successful businessman, 
and strong leader--will be deeply missed by our Fort Worth community.

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