[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 66 (Thursday, April 20, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          CELEBRATING THE 90TH BIRTHDAY OF BISHOP HENRY HEARNS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE GARCIA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 20, 2023

  Mr. MIKE GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
giant of the Antelope Valley and historic leader who is celebrating his 
90th birthday, Bishop Henry W. Hearns, Sr., of Lancaster. Bishop Hearns 
is a model for younger generations and exemplifies what it means to 
truly to be a man of service. As our community congregates to celebrate 
the 90 wonderful years Bishop Hearns has spent with us, we also gather 
to commemorate and reflect on his accomplishments from his military 
service to his public service to his community service.
  Bishop Hearns came from humble beginnings, growing up a sharecropper 
in Mississippi. Going on to serve his nation with honor in the U.S. 
Army, and having served overseas in Korea, he came home determined to 
pursue new opportunities and make a bona fide difference in any way he 
can. He settled on engineering, first attending Tennessee State 
University and later earning a master's degree in environmental 
engineering from the University of Southern California. He went on to 
lead a groundbreaking career at Edwards Air Force Base. It was during 
this time, when he was immersed in his passion and providing for his 
family that he answered a higher calling, to serve as the Senior Pastor 
of what would become Living Stone Cathedral of Worship.
  Upon his retirement in 1989 from Edwards Air Force Base, Bishop 
Hearns decided to carry on his charge of service by becoming the first 
elected African American official in Lancaster, California. Elected 
multiple times by his peers. including as Mayor, Bishop Hearns sought 
to make our community an incredible place to live. Even as he now 
serves as Mayor Emeritus, he continues to volunteer his time by serving 
on the boards of multiple service organizations.
  So as the Antelope Valley community gathers to celebrate Bishop 
Hearns' birthday, we also thank him for his lifetime of continued 
service. We salute his resolve and his patriotism, and we look forward 
to his future contributions to the city that he loves so much.

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