[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13351]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO REVEREND RANSOM HOWARD

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise in great sadness to honor my friend, 
Reverend Ransom Howard, the pastor for almost 4\1/2\ decades of First 
Sixth Street Baptist Church in Port Arthur, Texas. Reverend Ransom 
Howard died on Thursday, May 29.
  Reverend Howard was a remarkable man who was committed to his 
community, to his country, and, above all, to his family. Reverend 
Howard was a long-time civic and community leader. He was always a man 
who believed in equality and justice. He fought hard for civil rights 
when it was not an easy thing to do, although it is never an easy thing 
to do. His impact on the community could be felt everywhere, but you 
could certainly say he was a positive force for all of southeast Texas.
  Rev, as we called him, was instrumental in the integration of the 
Port Arthur public schools and city businesses. He served as youth 
director for the YMCA, was a past president of the NAACP, and president 
of the Concerned Citizens of the Port Arthur Association. He was of the 
utmost character, and his attributes of selflessness and commitment to 
others are rare gifts that this Nation was lucky to have.
  It was interesting that one of the times I saw him, probably 25, 
maybe 30 years ago, I saw him in coveralls working around a building 
that was being demolished. He was cleaning bricks and had several 
people working with him.

                              {time}  2015

  Mr. Speaker, what I found was interesting, that he believed that 
godly men and women should serve their communities and should be role 
models for others within their communities, and he did that. Regardless 
of what the job might be, he was willing to work the dirtiest, the 
hardest, perhaps the lowest of jobs to encourage someone else to be a 
better person within his community.
  He was a man who served his community with a great deal of pride and 
with a great deal of devotion. He was my friend. Interestingly, also, 
Reverend Howard would not want us to mourn today, so I ask Members to 
celebrate his life, that we should come together as Americans and 
continue to work toward the principles by which he lived which are so 
very important to each and every one of us and to our freedoms.
  It is important that current and future generations understand the 
history of African Americans, of their struggle for freedom and the 
part that people like Martin Luther King, Jr., like the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Lewis) and, yes, like Reverend Ransom Howard played, the 
awesome part that they played.
  Mr. Speaker, Reverend Ransom Howard was part of the fiber of 
Southeast Texas and, with his passing, a great loss will be felt in the 
spirit and the heart of our community. It has been said about some 
people, he knew his flock and his flock knew him; and in this case, 
they dearly loved him and will truly miss this great gentleman.

                          ____________________