[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 19, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H3554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF LINDA SALLEY

  (Mr. Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania was recognized to address the House 
for 5 minutes.)
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a woman whose 
life was a gift to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and whose legacy will 
live far beyond the years she walked among us, Linda Salley of 
Levittown.
  Linda was a visionary leader, a gifted educator, a keeper of history, 
a builder of bridges, and a trusted partner in service. Above all, she 
was a dear friend.
  Mr. Speaker, there are some people who do not simply pass through a 
community. They enlarge it. They deepen its memory. They strengthen its 
character and strengthen its conscience. They leave behind a light by 
which others may find their way.
  Linda Salley was such a person. Her life was rooted in faith, 
expressed in service, kindness, courage, and that steady belief that 
every person carries a story worthy of being heard.
  Linda once reflected that every joy and sorrow, every frustration and 
hope, every human encounter becomes part of one exquisite quilt. In 
many ways, that was the work of her life. She took the scattered pieces 
of memory, stories that were neglected, voices that were overlooked, 
chapters left out of our common telling, and she stitched them into 
something whole, something beautiful, and something enduring.

  As a teacher and administrator, Linda shaped young minds. As a 
founding member, president, and executive director of the African 
American Museum of Bucks County, she shaped the soul of our community.
  It was the honor of my life to work alongside Linda over the years 
and to see up close the depth of her conviction and the power of her 
vision.
  One of my greatest honors, Mr. Speaker, has been helping Linda and 
the African American Museum of Bucks County secure a permanent home at 
the historic Boone Farm in Middletown Township.
  For years, the African American Museum of Bucks County carried its 
mission across our region, into schools, museums, churches, civic 
spaces, and community gatherings, bringing stories too often left 
untold into the light.
  For Linda, Boone Farm was never just a location. It was a fulfillment 
of a promise that the history she worked so faithfully to preserve 
would finally have a place to stand, a place to teach, and a place to 
endure.
  Long after today, children will walk through those doors. Families 
will see themselves in the story, and neighbors will learn, remember, 
and understand. In that sacred work and memory, Linda's hand will still 
be guiding us.
  Mr. Speaker, Linda Salley understood a truth our Nation must never 
forget: History is not merely what we inherit. It is what we are brave 
enough to preserve, honest enough to tell, and faithful enough to pass 
on.
  Bucks County is a better place because Linda Salley lived. Our 
children are wiser. Our history is richer, and our community is more 
whole.
  Mr. Speaker, we mourn Linda's passing, but we will always celebrate 
the extraordinary life she lived and the work that she will pass on to 
others. The light that she lit is now ours to carry.

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