[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 37 (Monday, February 27, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E151-E152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING LEGENDARY EDUCATOR DR. EVA EVANS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 27, 2023

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor a legend of Lansing, 
Michigan whose

[[Page E152]]

tireless advocacy on behalf of effective education for students of 
color changed the trajectory of hundreds of young lives in mid-
Michigan.
  Dr. Eva Evans was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up in Detroit, 
Michigan, where she attended Northern High School in the early 1950s. 
Former teachers and fellow students remember her as one of the most 
willing, giving and compassionate people they'd ever met, traits that 
would ultimately define her entire life of service. She went on to earn 
her Bachelor of Science degree from Wayne State University and both 
Master's and Doctorate degrees from Michigan State University.
  Dr. Evans served in a number of administrative positions in the 
Lansing School District, from Director of Elementary Education to 
Deputy Superintendent of Schools--the first female to ever hold that 
position. As a leader in the school system, she developed and 
implemented innovative programs, such as schools of choice and a 
district-wide talent fair for, students and staff. She connected the 
school district with Lansing Community College and Michigan State 
University for the 2+2+2 Program, which channels minority students into 
MSU's College of Engineering. While she had a particular passion for 
math and science, she also created the ``Be a Star'' performing arts 
program. These programs and partnerships have endured over the years, 
benefiting countless individuals and shaping practice and policy in 
education, health care, social services and beyond.
  Outside the school buildings, Dr. Eva Evans tirelessly devoted 
herself to dozens of causes, giving of herself in leadership roles. She 
was the 24th International President of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the chair of 
the Lansing Community College Foundation, President of the Lansing 
Woman's Club, and Grand Marshall of the African American Parade and 
Family Picnic in Lansing. Evans was also appointed by the governor to 
serve on the Michigan Council for the Humanities and was Chairman of 
the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. She championed causes with the 
American Red Cross and created programs to raise awareness of HIV and 
AIDS. I like to think of her as the great connector--connecting 
underprivileged students to education beyond high school, connecting 
communities in need to programs that had the capacity to help, and 
simply connecting people to one another.
  Dr. Evans, who passed away in 2020, received numerous honors in her 
adopted hometown of Lansing, including the YWCA's Diana Award for 
Excellence in Education; the NAACP's Educator of the Year; the Lansing 
Chamber of Commerce's Athena Award; the Crystal Apple Award for 
Education from Michigan State University, and the Applause Award from 
the Lansing Center for the Arts. But I believe the greatest honor and 
the most profound title she ever received was to be called a teacher.

                          ____________________