[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 7, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E125-E126]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2024: HONORING DR. SAMUEL EDWARD HOLLOWAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 7, 2024

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr. Speaker, today I honor a man who was a trailblazer 
in athletics and

[[Page E126]]

education, and used his talents to break barriers and change the lives 
of generations of young people. Dr. Samuel Edward Holloway lived to 
serve others: his nation, his community, and his family. It is fitting 
that as we mark Black History Month, we shine a light on his place in 
the history of Michigan's 7th District and the many doors he opened for 
others to pass through.
  But before he was Dr. Holloway, he was simply ``Sam,'' a young man 
who came to Michigan with his father, who had left the deep South as 
part of the Great Migration. After spending his childhood in various 
parts of the Midwest, Sam and his family settled in Michigan in the 
1940s, where he would eventually join the Ann Arbor High School class 
of 1951. Sam's athletic abilities were evident from a young age, as he 
was crowned state champion in his wrestling class during his high 
school years. Also clear was his desire to use his life for the greater 
good, as he enlisted in the United States Army upon graduation, and was 
honorably discharged in 1953.
  It was then that Sam began embarking on what would become his life's 
calling: public education. He received his Bachelor's and Master's 
degrees from Eastern Michigan University, during which time he also 
began his teaching career. And so it was, at the height of the civil 
rights movement in 1963, when Samuel Edward Holloway became the first 
Black faculty member in the history of South Lyon Public Schools. 
During his tenure there, he is also credited with becoming the first 
Black person to serve as head wrestling coach for a high school team in 
the state of Michigan.
  Eventually Holloway earned his PhD in education, and went on to serve 
in numerous districts, including Ypsilanti Public Schools and Romulus 
Public Schools. In the late 1970s he became a building administrator at 
Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, a full circle moment for the man who 
had graduated from that very district. He held that post until his 
retirement in 1990, a retirement that he and his wife Janet enjoyed to 
the fullest. Still an athlete at heart and in practice, Holloway 
competed each year in the Arizona Senior Olympics, and rode his 
motorcycle across the United States and Europe.
  Dr. Samuel Edward Holloway passed away in 2022, leaving behind his 
devoted wife, his four children, a large and loving extended family, 
and an incredible legacy. Dr. Holloway didn't set out to be a pioneer; 
he simply wanted to do the things he loved in the service of others. I 
now ask that the People's House reflect his groundbreaking 
contributions and the gratitude of the institutions forever changed by 
his presence.

                          ____________________