[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 19273]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         TRIBUTE TO CARL ROWAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to noted 
author and journalist Carl Rowan, who passed earlier this week and who 
devoted his life to working and fighting for equality and justice both 
here at home and abroad.
  Carl Rowan was born in 1925 in Ravenscroft, Tennessee. Like many 
African Americans, he emerged from poverty in the segregated South 
during the depression. Undoubtedly, the trials and tribulations of Mr. 
Rowan's life, and which he overcame in his childhood, prepared him to 
excel as a leader and enabled him to climb the arduous ladder of 
success in his career. His life is a model which exemplified the 
continuous breaking of barriers which is truly noteworthy.
  Mr. Rowan served as a commissioned officer in the United States Navy. 
And after his tenure of military service he studied at Oberlin College 
in Ohio and earned a master's degree in journalism from the University 
of Minnesota. In the late 1940s, Carl Rowan became one of the first 
African Americans to work for a major mainstream daily newspaper when 
he took a copy editing position at the Minneapolis Tribune.
  Mr. Rowan was known among his contemporaries to possess integrity and 
an unwavering purpose to fight for justice. His sense of duty to 
uncover the truth, no matter what the cost, is not only noteworthy but 
honorable. Equipped with a tenacious journalistic pen, Carl Rowan 
courageously exposed racism.
  His reporting on race relations led President Kennedy to appoint him 
Deputy Secretary of State, delegate to the United Nations during the 
Cuban missile crisis, and Ambassador to Finland. In 1964, President 
Johnson named him Director of the United States Information Agency. 
While serving in these capacities, Mr. Rowan's shrewd character was 
admired by many, and his toughness was respected by all.
  After his government service, Mr. Rowan continued to break barriers 
when he became a columnist for the Chicago Sun Times. During his 
illustrious career at the Sun Times he composed themes of reform and 
racial awareness, which touched the spirits of his dedicated readers. 
Unlike many of his colleagues, he dared to write about the unpopular, 
the controversial. Mr. Rowan's motto was: ``I inform people and expose 
them to a point of view they otherwise wouldn't get. I work against the 
racial mindset of most of the media.''
  Indeed, Carl Rowan proved to be a watchdog who was in the forefront 
of civil rights in the media. This is why my friend and respected 
columnist, Vernon Jarrett, views Mr. Rowan as a role model who 
pioneered in the introduction of black content to major white 
newspapers.

                              {time}  1915

  Furthermore, Carl Rowan did not use his pen alone to make a 
difference. He was a staunch advocate of public service and 
philanthropy, as well. He created Project Excellence in 1987 to help 
and encourage black youth to finish high school and go on to college. 
To date, the fund has given $79 million to Washington area youth.
  Mr. Rowan was a good friend to many. His mark of excellence serves as 
a testament to what one can achieve. His undaunted literary voice will 
be sorely missed.
  And so, Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing 
Mr. Carl Rowan for his remarkable career of serving our country. On 
this sad and unfortunate occasion, let us extend our deepest sympathy 
to his family, to his wife, Vivian, and his three children, Carl, Jr., 
Jeffrey, and Barbara, a man of distinction, a public servant who served 
not only his country but the world community well.

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