[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16957]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO JUANITA PHILLIPS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KAREN McCARTHY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 21, 2004

  Ms. McCARTHY of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
the late Juanita R. Phillips, a retired St. Louis Public School 
educator and the aunt of my colleague and dear friend, Congresswoman 
Diane Watson. Ms. Phillips died of natural causes on July 1, 2004, less 
than three months shy of celebrating her 100th birthday. Born in 
Chicago, Illinois, on September 26, 1904, she experienced many highs 
and lows of this great country's history, witnessing historic events 
from both World Wars and the Great Depression to landing astronauts on 
the Moon. She attended the Clinton, Iowa Public Schools, graduated from 
the University of California-Los Angeles in 1927 and earned a master's 
degree in English from Ohio State University. She was a pioneer and a 
model for women of her day and today.
  Ms. Phillips pursued a rewarding career teaching English at 
historically black institutions such as Florida A&M College in 
Tallahassee, Florida and the Hampton Institute in Hampton, Virginia, 
before moving to St. Louis, Missouri in 1943 with her husband, Dr. A.C. 
Phillips. Ms. Phillips followed her love for teaching English to Soldan 
High School in the St. Louis Public School system, from which she 
retired in 1972, and subsequently served as a tutor.
  In her years as an educator Ms. Phillips touched many lives. One of 
those lives is that of her niece, my dear friend and colleague, 
Congresswoman Diane Watson. Diane has followed in the footsteps of her 
Aunt Juanita by devoting her life to community service, first as a 
teacher and school board member, and then as a California State Senator 
and later as U.S. Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia. 
Diane has been a role model to other women just as Aunt Juanita was for 
her.
  Juanita Phillips was truly an exemplary American. She overcame 
obstacles of racism and hatred to ensure a better life for her family 
and future generations. The challenges she faced as an African American 
educator through the years of segregation in our country were difficult 
to overcome, but Juanita didn't give up. She was undaunted by her 
commitment to making her world a better place, and she succeeded in 
doing so for all of us.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in celebrating the life of a woman who 
dedicated her life to education and to making sure future generations 
could realize their dreams. There are lessons to be learned from 
someone who gave so much to so many. Let us all join in giving 
gratitude for this philanthropic, civic minded and loving individual, 
Juanita Rabouin Phillips, and to her niece, Representative Diane 
Watson, who carries on the legacy by her service in the Congress.

                          ____________________