[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 21563]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   A TRIBUTE IN HONOR OF DR. JEWEL LIMAR PRESTAGE: TEACHER, MENTOR, 
                      SCHOLAR, AND PUBLIC SERVANT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Jefferson) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. JEFFERSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
outstanding American, Dr. Jewel Limar Prestage. Dr. Jewel Prestage is 
one of the first African American women to earn a Ph.D. She earned it 
in political science in the United States, and through her work and 
contributions since, has become one of the most important women of our 
times.
  Through teaching, mentoring, research and service, Jewel Prestage has 
had a profound influence in the political science discipline, in the 
political life of our country and on the lives of the thousands of 
students with whom she has associated over the years. Her talent, 
dedication, and good works must not go unacknowledged or unappreciated.
  As a distinguished professor of political science, Jewel Prestage has 
lectured at numerous institutions of higher education. Her service at 
two Historically Black Universities in the South, however, anchored her 
career.
  For 18 years, Dr. Prestage served as the Chair of the Political 
Science Department at Southern University. During her tenure, this 
academic department became the nation's leading catalyst for the 
development of African American Ph.D.s in political science.
  After 33 years of dedicated service, in 1989 Jewel Prestage retired 
from the Southern University system as the dean of its Public Policy 
School and of its Urban Affairs School. However, her retirement was 
short-lived, as Jewel Prestage joined the political science faculty at 
Prairie View A&M University, where she eventually became dean of the 
Benjamin Banneker Honors College. At Prairie View, she continued her 
impressive record of guiding students toward postgraduate education. In 
September 2002, she retired after a stellar academic career that 
spanned 46 years.
  Jewel Prestage has been a pioneer in academic research in the area of 
race, gender, and politics. She was the first person to pursue research 
that focused on African American women legislators and the first to 
offer the theory of marginality to describe the political behavior of 
African American women.
  Her book, ``A Portrait of Marginality,'' coauthored with Dr. Marianne 
Githens, has become the seminal work on minority women and politics and 
is referenced by many who are concerned about issues of race and 
gender. She also pioneered early research focusing on the political 
socialization of African American children and youth.
  As a leader in the discipline of political science, Jewel Prestage 
has served as an officer and on the executive council of many of the 
Nation's highly esteemed political science organizations. Her capstone 
accomplishment was her role in the founding of the professional 
organization, the National Conference of Black Political Scientists.
  In recognition of her service and of her achievements, these 
organizations have honored her with their highest awards, including the 
National Conference of Black Political Scientists' Fannie Lou Hamer 
Award, the American Political Science Association's Frank Goodnow 
Award, and the Southern Political Science Association's Manning Dauer 
Award.
  The Policy Studies Organization and the Southwestern Political 
Science Association have also elected to honor Dr. Prestage by creating 
awards in her name to recognize her outstanding academic achievement in 
the areas of race, gender, and politics.
  Jewel Prestage has made many contributions in the field of community 
service and has been an outstanding community servant. In the late 
1960s and 1970s, she worked to prepare many Southern politicians for 
the new public service opportunities that became available in the wake 
of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. A Democratic Party faithful, she has 
also served as a delegate and as an appointed member of the Judiciary 
Council of the Democratic National Committee.
  While her distinguished career in higher education and public service 
has resulted in many achievements, Dr. Jewel Prestage's greatest legacy 
may be in the inspiration she has provided to the thousands of students 
she has taught and mentored. Her former students have obtained many 
accomplishments and can be found throughout academia, the business 
sector, and the government.
  Former students have organized academic awards and scholarships in 
recognition and to honor her lifetime achievements. I am proud to say 
that Dr. Prestage was my teacher and my dean and she has had a lasting 
influence on my pursuit of public service. I will be forever grateful 
to her for what she did for me personally and for so many others like 
me.
  When the life of a person exemplifies such a strong commitment, 
others often wonder about the source of their inspiration. Throughout 
the years, it has become clear to many that Jewel Prestage has a deep 
and abiding commitment to the advancement of her community. Through her 
activities at Southern University and Prairie View A&M University, she 
encouraged students to be the best that they could be so she could help 
them help their communities and help them to help our country meet its 
need for more African Americans with professional and graduate degrees.
  Jewel Prestage cares deeply about the diversity issues in America and 
believes that one way our future can be secured is by producing more 
committed individuals who can give back to the community while serving 
as an inspiration to young people.
  Her activities in the public sphere have been encouraged and 
supported by her loving husband, Dr. James Prestage, and their five 
children: Terri Prestage-White, James Grady Prestage, Eric Warren 
Prestage, Karen Prestage-Washington, and Jay Wilkins Prestage.
  Her efforts merit our great appreciation and our respect. I commend 
Dr. Jewel Prestage for her dedication and personal sacrifice that has 
generated so many positive experiences and wonderful memories for so 
many thousands. She is an outstanding model for our Nation and an 
excellent example of one person who has truly made a difference in our 
lives, in our community, and in our Nation.

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