[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12457-12458]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO CLARENCE LIGHTNER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Boozman). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price) is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from North Carolina (Mr. Watt) to continue with a few comments on this 
tribute to Clarence Lightner.
  Mr. WATT of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
continuing to yield to me. I know I am kind of butting in on others' 
time, but the one thing I do want to say about Clarence Lightner, that 
I think both of my colleagues will acknowledge, is that all of us went 
to him for advice, but Clarence did not always tell you what you wanted 
to hear. He was sometimes blunt, he was sometimes humorous, but every 
time he gave advice, he did it in the context of a story that was based 
on some experiences that had shaped his life in many ways. And he did 
it with humor and with a smile, and he was always giving in that 
respect.
  That is the thing that I will remember about Clarence Lightner above 
all else.
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
those recollections, and also my colleague, the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Etheridge), for taking the time to pay tribute to our 
friend, Clarence Lightner, who was a friend and a mentor to me and to 
so many others.
  He was a prominent businessman, he was a ground-breaking political 
leader. Clarence Lightner, Raleigh's first and only African American 
mayor, died this week at the age of 80. He served a single term as 
mayor, as the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) has pointed 
out, from 1973 to 1975; and then he played a critical leadership role 
in North Carolina politics for decades to follow.
  I have experienced firsthand Clarence's exceptional talent for 
bringing disparate groups together to effect positive change in both 
official and unofficial capacities. He led the city of Raleigh during a 
tumultuous period of expansion and development. His success was 
directly attributable, I believe, to his ability to relate as easily to 
people on the street as he did to business and community leaders.
  Clarence was frequently sought out for his insight and his guidance. 
It was often said, and was actually reported again in the News and 
Observer of Raleigh this week, that any candidate seeking voter support 
in Raleigh had better secure Clarence Lightner's support first. That 
was the truth, and I can attest to it.
  Clarence was a mentor to me personally as I attempted to lead our 
State Democratic Party and then to represent the fourth district in 
Congress. I valued his wise counsel very much. It was always delivered 
with unfailing good humor, and his spirit was a generous one and a 
cooperative one.
  Clarence Lightner offered leadership to organizations ranging from 
the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association to the 
National League of Cities to the Democratic National Committee, the 
Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association, the Board of Trustees of St. 
Augustine's College, North Carolina Central University, and North 
Carolina State University.
  He had a huge impact for good in Raleigh and throughout North 
Carolina and across the Nation. We will continue, Mr. Speaker, to feel 
this impact long after he is gone. We will miss him. We treasure his 
legacy.
  Mr. Speaker, I enter into the Record at this point the editorial 
tribute to Clarence Lightner from the Raleigh News and Observer from 
July 10, 2002.

                        A Pathfinder for Raleigh

       Clarence Lightner was a gentle, soft-spoken man of resolve. 
     At his core he possessed a strength and a courage that helped 
     him overcome racial barriers--and then he helped Raleigh 
     overcome them, too. That is but one of the legacies he leaves 
     following his death Monday at the age of 80.
       Lightner, long-time proprietor of a funeral home that bears 
     the family name, was the Capital City's first and thus far 
     only African-American mayor, serving from 1973 to 1975. He 
     also was the first mayor to be elected under a then-new 
     procedure whereby the mayor is chosen directly by the people 
     and not by the City Council.
       Lightner grew up in a segregated city, the son of a 
     prominent businessman, Calvin Lightner, who had run for the 
     city commission in the early 1900s. In Clarence Lightner's 
     lifetime, Raleigh was to change dramatically, and he was to 
     help achieve that change.
       Though he served just one term as mayor following a period 
     as a council member, Lightner remained a powerful force in 
     politics through his influence in Southeast Raleigh. Long 
     after his term was over he continued to advise candidates 
     whom he favored and to help shape issues in citywide 
     campaigns.
       Lightner was always unfailingly gracious, and keen in his 
     remembrances of his growing-up in Raleigh. He had, after all, 
     belonged to a family that was active in helping the city 
     grow. He also served by spotting those young people he felt 
     one day could serve in leadership roles. Many of them did not 
     disappoint him, and in their service especially, Clarence 
     Lightner's legacy is a living one.


[[Page 12458]]


  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. PRICE OF North Carolina. I yield to the gentleman from North 
Carolina.
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Just briefly, Mr. Speaker, let me thank both my 
colleagues, because Clarence Lightner was an exceptional man; and my 
colleague was right when he said that if you ran for public office, as 
he and I did, and others, we are here to attest to the fact that you 
sought Clarence Lightner's counsel. You really wanted his support; but 
you sought his counsel first, as we well know.
  He was honest, he was blunt, but he did it in such a nice way. Let me 
share what Webster's Dictionary defines as a Renaissance man, because I 
really think Clarence Lightner is one. It says, a Renaissance man is 
one who has wide interests; is an expert in several areas. And 
certainly Clarence Lightner fully met these descriptions. He earned 
that designation again and again, and he showed in many ways that he 
really did value liberty, equality, and human kindness; and he 
exhibited it every day.
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, and I 
hope that what is coming through these tributes today is the human 
qualities of Clarence Lightner. There was no question he exerted strong 
leadership and a visionary leadership. But one reason he had the impact 
that he did, and that so many people, like us, who regarded him as a 
mentor and a friend and a shaping force in their lives, is because of 
his human warmth and generosity of spirit and extraordinary sense of 
humor and an ability to bring out the best in people, and a desire to 
see people do their best. He did not need to claim the credit himself. 
He was very good at bringing along people and letting them shine.
  There are many, many people in North Carolina whose lives have been 
enriched by this man and who join us in mourning his passing. So, Mr. 
Speaker, I appreciate the time to offer this tribute today; and it is 
entirely fitting that we gather here to honor Clarence Lightner, to 
testify as to what he has meant in our lives and to bear witness to 
what he has meant to North Carolina and the Nation.

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