[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14656]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO THIRLEE SMITH, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 5, 2007

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of 
Thirlee Smith, Sr., one of the preeminent role models of our community. 
A man of great repute and high standing who enriched the lives of so 
many community members throughout Miami, Thirlee Smith, Sr. lived a 
meaningful and fulfilling life dedicated to the betterment of our 
society through acts of good will.
  We have lost an outstanding leader, but we are blessed to have been 
touched by his greatness. It is our collective responsibility to carry 
forward and continue the good works and deeds that Thirlee Smith, Sr. 
practiced on a daily basis.
  Thirlee Smith, Sr. led voter registration drives throughout the 
community, because he understood that voting is a civil right. Thirlee 
Smith, Sr. stood at the forefront of this civil rights voter 
registration fight. Our democracy is more vibrant, our community is 
better represented, and our voices are now heard thanks to his tireless 
efforts.
  Thirlee Smith, Sr. was born in Timpson, Texas on June 2, 1912, the 
second oldest of six children born to his loving parents. In the late 
1930s, Thirlee Smith, Sr. married Beulah Finley, and built a three 
bedroom home in Liberty City which still stands to this day. Together 
Thirlee, Sr. and Beulah raised three outstanding children, who 
contributed to our community in their own right: Odessa S. Felder Cook, 
a retired Miami-Dade County Public School teacher; Thirlee Smith, Jr., 
a former Miami-Dade County Public School administrator and the first 
Black reporter for The Miami Herald; and the Honorable Frederica 
Wilson, my Florida State Senator.
  Thirlee, Sr. was a 20-year member of the Revival Tabernacle Assembly 
of God under the leadership of retired Rev. Selwyn Scott, and served 
there as a deacon for many years, mentoring children and young adults. 
Thirlee, Sr. left this world a better place, and now, he returns home 
to a greater place in God's heavenly kingdom alongside his beloved 
Beulah Finley Smith.
  It is only appropriate that on Friday, March 2, 2007, the city of 
Opa-Locka held a street naming ceremony in honor of Thirlee Smith, Sr. 
across the street from the billiard parlor where he registered members 
of the Black community to vote, led a community drive that resulted in 
the sanitation workers of Opa-Locka being issued uniforms and pay 
raises, and dispensed sage-like political and personal advice to 
friends who were also his patrons.
  A husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncie and 
friend, Thirlee, Sr. was a family man who leaves behind his devoted 
daughters; Odessa Felder Cook (Carliss), and Frederica S. Wilson; five 
loving grandchildren, Chandra Stephens (Clyde), Kimberly Emmanuel 
(Nicholas), Lakesha Wilson-Rochelle (Shelly) and Paul Wilson, Jr. 
(Farrah); five great-grand children, Cailey and Clifford Stephens, 
Najee and Chelsey Emmanuel, and Triston Paul Wilson; and nieces, 
nephews, cousins, and friends in Miami, Milwaukee, California, Texas 
and the Bahamas.
  A man of great faith and spirituality who was the patriarch of a 
family that continues to serve our community with the highest levels of 
distinction, Thirlee Smith, Sr. left our world a better place than the 
world in which he entered.