[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20573]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      A TRIBUTE TO THE ST. LOUIS GATEWAY CLASSIC SPORTS FOUNDATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. WM. LACY CLAY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 10, 2002

  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I rise today in 
tribute to the St. Louis Gateway Classic Sports Foundation and its 
president, Earl Wilson, Jr. On Sunday, September 29, 2002, the Sports 
Foundation hosted the grand opening of its new 15,000-square-foot, $2.7 
million headquarters. The building, located at 202 Dr. Martin Luther 
King Drive in St. Louis, Missouri, will house office space, a computer 
lab, gymnasium, auditorium, state-of-the-art boxing area, banquet 
facilities and classrooms. In addition a ``Walk of Fame,'' which lined 
the sidewalk outside the new building was unveiled. The ``Walk'' honors 
African-Americans from Missouri who have made a positive impact on the 
St. Louis community and the nation.
  As the Representative of the 1st Congressional District in Missouri, 
I was proud to participate in the opening of the new facility. Since 
its founding in 1994, the Gateway Classic Foundation has sent a strong 
message to our young people that someone cares about them, that someone 
will invest in their skills and talents and provide positive 
alternatives to negative influences. The Foundation's community 
outreach has increasingly emphasized the importance of building a 
better future for the youth in St. Louis, through programs that target 
their educational, health, intellectual, physical, social, and 
spiritual development.
  Every year, the Foundation stages the Gateway Classic college 
football game and hosts other sporting events such as high school 
basketball tournaments, track and field competitions and boxing 
matches. In nine years, the Foundation has donated more than $2.9 
million to local charitable organizations and has awarded 35 full, 4-
year scholarships to students to attend Historically Black Colleges and 
Universities.
  The 17 ``Walk of Fame'' inductees are true heroes, not just to the 
black community, but to our nation as a whole. In sports and 
entertainment, the inductees were: Jackie Joyner Kersee, Elston Howard, 
Dick Gregory, and members of the 5th Dimension.
  In government, the inductees were: Congresswoman Maxine Waters, 
former St. Louis Mayor Freeman Bosley, Jr., U.S. Army General Roscoe 
Robinson, Jr., U.S. Army Air Corps officer Wendell Pruitt, former St. 
Louis Alderman Wayman Smith, Jr., and former Congressman William L. 
Clay, Sr.
  Other inductees were: Reverend James E. Cook, Dr, Julia Davis, Civil 
Rights activist Percy Green, Nanny Turner Mitchell, Homer G. Phillips, 
Margaret Bush Wilson, and Nathan B. Young.
  All of these inductees are priceless assets to the St. Louis 
Community and the nation. I salute them for their achievements and 
commend the Foundation for seeking to honor these individuals.
  The Foundation also recognized and presented special awards to its 
minority contractors for their part in the construction of the new 
headquarters. The minority owned component included; Interface 
Construction Company, contractor; Fleming Corporation, architect, and 
Kwame Building Group, construction manager.
  In closing, I would like to extend ``Birthday Greetings'' to Earl 
Wilson, Jr., who celebrated his 70th Birthday yesterday. On behalf of 
his family and many friends in the 1st Congressional District, I wish 
him good health, continued success and many more birthday celebrations!

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