[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 1, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E86]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF LUSIA ``LUCY'' HARRIS STEWART

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 1, 2022

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
life and service of a remarkable individual basketball champion, Lusia 
``Lucy'' Harris Stewart.
  Lucy was born February 10, 1955, in Minter City, Mississippi to Ethel 
and Willie Harris. Lucy, at the age of 66, was called to her heavenly 
resting place on Wednesday, January 18, 2022, at Greenwood-Leflore 
Hospital in Greenwood, MS.
  From her humble beginnings in rural Leflore County, Lucy, along with 
her eleven siblings, were raised on a system of integrity premised on 
the tenets of love, kindness and compassion imparted by their parents 
who instilled a central moral compass that echoed the heart of the Good 
Samaritan and core ethical values encompassed in the importance of 
work, family, community, and the love of God.
  A graduate of Amanda Elzy High School in Greenwood, MS, Lucy received 
a Bachelor of Science in Education degree in health, physical 
education, and recreation in 1977, a master's degree in education in 
1984 and an honorary doctorate degree in 2014--all from Delta State 
University. Lucy still owns a plethora of Lady Statesmen basketball 
records and has the honor of holding another distinction: at the 1976 
Olympics, Lucy scored the first points ever recorded in an Olympic 
women's basketball game. Lucy changed the face of women's basketball. 
Opponents called her unstoppable but even that barely described her 
approach to the game.
  To this date, Lucy is still Delta State's career record holder in 
points (2,891) and rebounds (1,662) and averaged 25.9 points and 14.5 
rebounds per game in 115 career games played. Lucy shot an astonishing 
63.3 percent from the field in her illustrious collegiate career.
  She holds the distinction as being the first female, collegiate 
player inducted in the National Basketball Hall of Fame (1992) and is a 
member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame (1999). She is also a 
member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (1990) and the Delta 
State Sports Hall of Fame (1983). Lucy collected Kodak All-American 
honors in 1975, 1976, and 1977, and was the Mississippi Sportsperson of 
the Year in 1976. She became the first and only woman drafted by the 
NBA, when the New Orleans Jazz selected her in the 1977 draft.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life, 
legacy, and service of Mrs. Lusia ``Lucy'' Harris Stewart.

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