[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 60 (Tuesday, April 9, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E310]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN MEMORY OF MRS. ADA M. JACKSON LEE

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 9, 2024

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a devoted 
wife, loving mother, doting grandmother, community servant, and Civil 
Rights icon, Mrs. Ada M. Jackson Lee. Family, friends, and community 
leaders commemorated the sixth anniversary of her passing and 
celebrated what would have been her 100th birthday on April 6, 2024, at 
Ada Lee Park in Warner Robins, Georgia.
  The journey of the remarkable life of Ada Lee began on March 6, 1924, 
when she was born to the union of the late Mr. Lewis D. Jackson and the 
late Mrs. Annie B. Jackson in Wellston, Georgia.
  A lifelong and persistent learner, Mrs. Lee graduated from Booker T. 
Washington High School and the Culinary Arts Program at The Fort Valley 
State University. She went on to work as an Urban Renewal specialist 
where she later retired.
  She was married to the late Sylvester Lee and to this union three 
children were born. Daron Lewis Lee, Vircy Anne Ferguson and Doroethea 
Rita Scott. Mrs. Lee was a woman after God's own heart who served her 
community with distinction and pride. ``It has been said that service 
is the rent that we pay for the space that we occupy here on this 
earth.'' Mrs. Lee paid her rent, and she paid it well. She was nothing 
short of a trailblazer with several historic firsts for the Warner 
Robins community--first Director of the Warner Robins Day Care Center, 
she formed the first Girl Scout Troop for African American girls and 
the first Director of the Head Start Program in Warner Robins.
  When Mrs. Lee saw a need in the community, she made sure that it was 
addressed. When she saw a need for a safe space for children to play, 
she approached the mayor and made it happen. Now that same park is 
named in her honor. She was a strong advocate for her community and for 
women. She truly believed in the words of Shirley Chisolm, ``If they 
don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.'' Because of 
her lifetime of service, she was recognized with many awards to include 
The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for Outstanding Volunteer Services, The 
NAACP Trailblazer Award, Ms. Senior Warner Robins as well as one of the 
fifty Influential Women in Middle Georgia.
  She gave her time, talent, and treasure to many organizations to 
include Board Member of the Family Support Alliance for the Mentally 
Ill, Warner Robins Housing Authority, Houston County Democratic 
Advisory, Warner Robins Day Care Center, NAACP, SCLC and served as a 
member of the Christian Women United Association and the Georgia 
Council on Human Relations. She was also an honorary member of the 
Order of Eastern Star, Cinderella Chapter No. 406.
  But more important than all of these accolades and memberships, Mrs. 
Lee was a woman of faith. A dedicated member of the Warner Robins 
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, Mrs. Lee was a member of 
stewardess board, missionary board, Lay Council, We Care-Golden Age, 
Social Concerns Hospitality Circle and served as Founder of the 
Pastor's Aide Board. The scripture tells us in Proverbs 3:6 that ``In 
all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.'' The Lord 
truly directed the paths of Mrs. Ada Jackson Lee. The Middle Georgia 
Community, The State of Georgia, our country, and the world are better 
because Mrs. Lee passed this way.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me, and my wife Vivian, and 
the 765,000 people of Georgia's Second Congressional District in 
honoring the life and legacy of Mrs. Ada Jackson Lee. May her life 
continue to be an inspiration to her family, friends, and all those 
that she touched during her remarkable life.

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