[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11544]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO JESSIE HALE DOWNS

 Mr. SESSIONS. Today, with a great sense of honor and respect, 
I rise to pay tribute to Mrs. Jessie Hale Downs for her humane and 
charitable service to the city of Birmingham, AL.
  In 1944, Mrs. Hale and her husband, Jimmie Hale, cofounded the 
Downtown Jimmie Hale Mission in Birmingham. These two individuals 
founded this mission to help rescue scores of individuals from 
homelessness and addiction. On November 17, 1944, Jimmie Hale died, 
leaving his young wife widowed and expecting their first daughter in 
January of 1945.
  The death of her husband left her with nothing, so Mrs. Hale was 
taken in by a friend, and 2 months later she gave birth to a daughter. 
Later, Jessie married a man who had been aided by the Jimmie Hale 
Mission, Joe Downs. Unfortunately, he never overcame his addiction and 
after 2\1/2\ years of marriage and the birth of a daughter, he left the 
family.
  Nevertheless, Jessie Hale Downs remained resolve in her dedication to 
the Jimmie Hale Mission, and she refused to let her late husband's 
dream die. Mrs. Downs is gifted with a great sense of leadership and a 
spirit of love for humanity. She served as the executive director of 
the Mission for 46 years and even today travels to churches and civic 
meetings to share the story of the Jimmie Hale Mission and what they 
have to offer.
  Because of her unwavering dedication to the Mission, which began as a 
lone storefront chapel ministering to the men on the streets of 
downtown Birmingham, the Mission has now expanded into a six-facility, 
holistic-approach ministry in central Alabama committed to helping 
people break the chains of addiction and homelessness.
  While Jimmie Hale envisioned the ministry, Jessie Hale Downs saw the 
Mission to fruition. Now, at the age of 88, Mrs. Downs is the matriarch 
and heartbeat of the Jimmie Hale Mission. I would like to offer thanks 
for a life lived to serve the less fortunate. The community of 
Birmingham and the State of Alabama are better off because Mrs. Jessie 
Hale Downs has lived among us.

                          ____________________