[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13836]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO THE LATE JUDGE CORDELL MEEKS, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 10, 2006

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
outstanding Kansas jurist who recently was taken from us too soon: 29th 
Judicial District Court Judge Cordell Meeks, Jr., who died unexpectedly 
on June 28th of a heart attack at age 63.
  Born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, Judge Meeks served on the 
bench for nearly 26 years. A graduate of the University of Kansas and 
of KU's School of Law, he was a senior partner in the law firm of 
Meeks, Sutherland and McIntosh when he was appointed by Governor John 
Carlin in 1980 to fill a vacancy on the bench created by the death of 
his father, Cordell D. Meeks, Sr., the first African-American district 
court judge in Kansas.
  Described as a ``firm but fair'' judge who maintained strict 
courtroom decorum, Judge Meeks also served on the boards of numerous 
community groups and civic organizations, including Children's Mercy 
Hospital, Rockhurst University, and the Liberty Memorial Association. 
He also served as a colonel and senior military judge in the Kansas 
Army National Guard. In 1999, he became the first African-American to 
serve on the board of the Truman Museum, a position he considered an 
honor because his father had been a friend of President Truman. In 2001 
he was elected president of the American Lung Association.
  Additionally, Judge Meeks was an active alumnus of the University of 
Kansas, where he served on the advisory board for minority development 
for KU's graduate school and for KU's Edwards Campus in Overland Park. 
In 2002, he received the alumni association's Fred Ellsworth Medallion, 
the organization's highest award for service to the University. As KU 
Chancellor Robert Hemenway said upon learning of Judge Meeks' death, 
``I know of no one who better understood than Cordell the importance of 
higher education and the door to opportunities that it opens. Cordell 
was an inspirational leader for racial equality in our region. He 
motivated us all to do better. We will miss him dearly.''
  Mr. Speaker, I was privileged to have known Cordell Meeks personally 
for many years. We first met during my junior year at the University of 
Kansas, where we both served as counselors in Joseph R. Pearson 
Residence Hall, and we remained close friends since that time, as we 
both progressed through careers in law. Judge Cordell Meeks truly was a 
well-respected member of our community whose life and work were 
centered around the basic ideals he held dear: justice, hope, strength, 
community and family. He was a valued friend and I know that all 
members of the Kansas City community join with me in sharing our 
thoughts and prayers with his widow, Mary Anne, and their son, Cordell, 
III, during their time of loss.

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