[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6464]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO ANN SUNSTEIN KHEEL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 2, 2004

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ann Sunstein Kheel who 
died in New York City on December 28 at the age of 88. Ms. Kheel was a 
woman as close to a saint as I have ever known. She dedicated her whole 
life to the fight for social and racial justice. Born in Pittsburgh in 
1915, she went to Cornell University where she earned a degree in 
General Studies in 1936. She lived in New York City ever since.
  Ms. Kheel's goal was to make the American society ``inclusive rather 
than exclusive.'' It was her motto ``never to entertain except 
interracially'' and not to support organizations which were not 
integrated. She remained truthful to these ideas throughout her life. 
She served on the board of the New York Urban League for more than 
thirty years and initiated its Federick Douglass Awards Dinner in 1966. 
For 25 years she was the chairwoman of this event, which honors leaders 
in the private and public sectors who try to eliminate race barriers 
and promote opportunities for the disadvantaged.
  In the 1960s Ms. Kheel sponsored the purchase of books for students 
attending the Frederick Douglass Junior High School in Harlem who had 
completed research on individuals who had had a significant impact on 
African-American or Puerto-American history. In 1963 and 1964 she was a 
delegate to the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunities 
and, from 1971 to 1986, she served as a trustee of the Schomburg Center 
for Research in Black Culture. The NAACP awarded her with the Unity 
Award in 1971.
  Ms. Kheel was also deeply involved in campaigns for environmental 
justice. She served as chairwoman of the New York State Parks, 
Recreation and Historic Preservation Commission from 1977 to 1986 and 
as trustee of the Rainforest Alliance. The promotion of better public 
education in New York City was another issue close to her heart.
  Ms. Kheel ensured that her great contributions to the social life of 
New York City would not end with her death. In her last will, she asked 
her husband of 66 years, labor lawyer Theodore Kheel, to provide 
funding for charities. The Kheel family decided to create the Ann S. 
Kheel Charitable Trust and endowed it with $1 million. I am very 
honored that the Kheel family has asked me to chair this Trust which 
will provide funding for educational, civil rights and other 
organizations serving disadvantaged New York neighborhoods.
  Ms. Kheel was an admirable woman and serves as a shining example in 
our society. Her death is a big loss for New York City, but she will 
always be remembered as a woman dedicated to achieving more social and 
racial equality in our society.

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