[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19762]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



         IN MEMORY OF REVEREND DOCTOR FREDERICK GEORGE SAMPSON

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, today I would like to pay tribute to 
the achievements of a beloved religious leader, heroic civil rights 
advocate, inspiring preacher and dedicated father from my home State of 
Michigan, Reverend Doctor Frederick George Sampson.
  For the past 30 years, my home town of Detroit has been able to claim 
Reverend Sampson as one of its own. However, his deep faith, keen 
intellect, and concern for others enabled him to touch the lives of 
countless people the world over.
  Born in Port Arthur, TX, Reverend Sampson's insatiable thirst for 
knowledge compelled him to earn three bachelor's degrees, two master's 
degrees, a doctor of divinity degree from Virginia Theological Seminary 
as well as certificates in economics and medicine. In addition, three 
colleges awarded him honorary degrees.
  While he was indeed a man of learning, Reverend Sampson was also a 
man of action who sought to integrate his education and faith into all 
he did. His learning and faith could be heard in his powerful sermons. 
Such was the influence of these sermons, that Ebony Magazine twice 
named Reverend Sampson as one of the Nation's ``Greatest Black 
Preachers in America.''
  Central to all the Reverend's work was his untiring advocacy on 
behalf of the civil rights movement. A close aide to the Reverend 
Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Sampson helped organize the 1965 voting 
rights march in Montgomery, AL, and he helped write and edit many 
important speeches given during the early days of the civil rights 
movement. In addition, he was a life member of the National Association 
for the Advancement of Colored People as well as a former President of 
the Detroit branch of the NAACP. Much of the success of the civil 
rights movement has been due to the untiring efforts by people of 
faith, such as Reverend Sampson, who reminded us about the dignity and 
worth of all people regardless of their race, creed or gender.
  After serving two decades in various churches throughout the nation, 
Reverend Sampson came to Detroit to serve as Senior Pastor at the 
Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. During his tenure as pastor, this 
parish of 5,000 served as a beacon of hope to the entire community. 
Tabernacle Church cares for the body and mind as well as the soul, and 
Reverend Sampson deserves much of the credit for this. The church 
offers computer training, GED tutoring, runs a soup kitchen, 
administers a food pantry and among other things has a scholarship 
program in addition to its services and Bible studies.
  As one who early in his life deferred a career in medicine to serve 
God as a preacher, Reverend Sampson was able to use his role as a 
minister to increase awareness about health matters. Besides speaking 
extensively about health and spirituality, Reverend Sampson was able to 
display considerable courage in his personal life when he was diagnosed 
with prostate cancer. After this diagnosis, Reverend Sampson and his 
daughter Freda sought to highlight the threat that prostate cancer 
poses, particularly to African American males, by teaming with the 
American Cancer Society and the Southern Christian Leadership 
Conference to raise awareness of this disease.
  Reverend Sampson has been a community and spiritual leader for nearly 
five decades. I have been able to witness, firsthand, his passionate 
oratory, his love of his Lord and his commitment to helping others. 
Reverend Sampson touched the lives of all who met him. I know my Senate 
colleagues join me in commemorating the life of Reverend Doctor 
Frederick George Sampson, and in offering their condolences to his son 
Pastor Frederick Sampson III, his daughter Freda and his extended 
family.

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