[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 74 (Tuesday, April 30, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H2755]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     REMEMBERING DR. CRYSTAL ELLIS

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the passing of a 
towering, transformational leader of northwest Ohio and Toledo Public 
Schools, Dr. Crystal Ellis. Indeed, he has been a crystal-clear force 
for today and the tomorrows to come.
  Dr. Ellis was born in 1933 in Springfield, Ohio, in the depths of 
economic struggle. As an African American pre-civil rights, he faced 
raw discrimination but was determined to overcome that by playing 
basketball at Bowling Green State University like his idol, Charlie 
Share. In 1951, Dr. Ellis became the first African American to play for 
the Falcons at Bowling Green.
  He left college to join the U.S. Army and continued playing 
basketball on a military team, finishing his education at BGSU and the 
University of Toledo, and he became BGSU's most valuable player.
  He moved to Toledo to raise his family and work for the YMCA and was 
then hired by the Toledo Public Schools in 1969 and rose to 
superintendent, serving from 1969 until his retirement in 1996. He was 
a teacher, coach, mentor, principal, prophet, leader, and the 
district's first African-American superintendent.
  Superintendent Ellis, a very measured man, led by example. Toledo and 
our region are deeply grateful for his life and legacy and 
contributions to educating every child and every person in our 
community.
  Rest in peace, Dear Superintendent Ellis.
  He will be deeply missed. In his name, may our community move forward 
with his unfinished dream to educate every child and person, no matter 
how difficult their circumstance.

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