[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 24977]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



              TRIBUTE TO DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR DAN DAVIS

  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, there is no greater profession 
than that of teaching, and I rise to pay tribute to an outstanding 
educator who, over a 30 year span, has positively impacted the lives of 
thousands of people.
  Dan Davis was recently selected Distinguished Professor of the Year 
by the faculty and staff of Malcolm X Community College in Chicago 
under the leadership of Dr. Wayne Watson, Chancellor of the Chicago 
City Colleges, and Mrs. Ziri Campbell, President of Malcolm X College.
  Professor Davis graduated from Crane High School, All American, All 
State and All City in varsity basketball. He holds a BA degree in 
education, Summa Cum Laude, and a Masters Degree from Northwestern 
University in Health and Physical Education.
  Dan and I both live in the same community and oftentimes are mistaken 
for each other since I, too, am sometimes called Dan Davis. I usually 
tell people that the difference is while Dan was scoring points in 
basketball, I was analyzing the game from the bench, and while he was 
graduating Summa Cum Laude, I was graduating ``Thank You Laude.''
  Dan Davis played varsity basketball and was an All Big Ten Academic 
Selection in 1968-1969 from Northwestern. He has served as Athletic 
Director for Malcolm X College for the past 13 years, Project 
Administrator for the National Youth Sports Program for the past 13 
years, and Illinois State Coordinator for the National Youth Sports 
Program for the past 9 years.
  In addition to his regular teaching and directorship 
responsibilities, Coach Davis is an active participant in College 
Governance, Student Government, Local 1600 of the AFL-CIO, former Vice 
Chair, and the President's Scholarship Gala Committee.
  In 1992, coach Davis was selected by the United States Department of 
State to teach and to serve as Athlete and Program Specialist in 
Africa. He taught and supervised sports clinics in Egypt, Uganda and 
Kenya. Professor Davis also served as Vice President for Personnel and 
Head Basketball Coach for the United States Upper Deck All Stars 
Professional Basketball Team, which toured Europe from 1996 to 1998.
  Professor Davis has earned meritorious awards, among the top ten in 
the United States, from Malcolm X College for eight consecutive years.

                              {time}  2320

  In 1997, Malcolm X college won the Silver Conte Award, designating 
Malcolm X College's program as the best in the Nation.
  Dan Davis has been instrumental in assisting more than 300 students 
and student athletes in acquiring scholarships as well as their college 
degrees. Equally important, Professor Davis is viewed by many of his 
professional peers as a coach, a master teacher and a mentor 
extraordinaire because of his high standards and unswerving commitments 
to his student, his community, education and his college, where he is 
indeed a distinguished professor.
  In addition to being a distinguished professor, Dan Davis is a 
distinguished citizen, a good neighbor, a role model, a person who grew 
up in an inner city community, Crane High School, which at one time 
housed what is now Malcolm X College. He returned home, brought his 
skills and attributes and has given something back, has given something 
of himself on a regular basis.
  Yes, I congratulate Dan Davis and his family for their outstanding 
citizenship. All of us who know him are proud of his accomplishments. I 
commend him for not only being a distinguished professor, he is indeed 
an outstanding citizen and a distinguished American.

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