[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 26]
[House]
[Page 35622]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  2245
            REGARDING THE PASSING OF CHARLES G. TILDON, JR.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Braley). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, tonight I rise to pay tribute to a great 
American who fought tirelessly against injustice and inequality, using 
education as both his sword and his shield.
  Charles D. Tildon, Jr., left this Earth on December 15, 2007, at the 
age of 81. Affectionately known as Charlie, he was born in my hometown 
of Baltimore, Maryland, to Charles G. Tildon, Sr., a preacher, and 
Estrom Elizabeth Tildon, a teacher.
  His belief in the power of education was formed at a very young age. 
He and his brother, Dr. Tyson Tildon, were raised to pursue excellence, 
despite living in an era of overt and permeating racism. Not only did 
they pursue excellence, but they achieved it in every task they took 
on.
  Both brothers, now reunited in heaven, embodied the virtues of 
dignity, integrity, and brilliance. Charlie received a degree in 
biology from the then Morgan State College and graduated from Frederick 
Douglass High School. He had a long and successful career that 
culminated with the post of the president of Baltimore City College, 
from which he retired in 1985. Along the way, he held positions as a 
middle school science teacher, associate director of Provident 
Hospital, executive director of the Maryland Service Corps, and 
assistant secretary of the Maryland Department of Human Resources.
  His career trajectory as well as his community engagement were fueled 
by his desire to help others reach their fullest potential. Charles 
Tildon was indeed a trailblazer. In 1969, he became one of the first 
African American trustees for the Maryland Institute College of Arts. 
He also contributed his talents and his time to several community 
organizations, including Associated Black Charities and Open Society 
Institute. He combined his leadership capabilities with a passion for 
justice to help organize movements for social change. He was a founding 
member of the organization BLEWS, the Black/Jewish Forum of Baltimore, 
which was created in 1978 as an effort to overcome estrangement between 
African Americans and Jews. Charlie Tildon understood the importance of 
having these two communities come together in order to build mutual 
trust and understanding. He recognized that we are all more alike than 
we are different, and that by working together we bring out the very 
best in ourselves and in others.
  I was blessed to call Charlie my mentor and my friend. He was a role 
model to me and so many others. He taught us that our intellect is our 
greatest strength and, with it, we have a voice that we cannot be 
silenced. He also taught us that there are trying moments in our lives 
when we simply cannot remain silent.
  He co-edited a collection of essays called Clairvoyance: Reweaving 
the Fabric of the Community for Black Folk. This visionary blueprint 
included discussions by some of Baltimore's most gifted thinkers about 
the relationship between our schools and the community in which we 
live. It concluded that we must become a community of learning if we 
are to become a society in which all people have the opportunity to 
succeed. Clairvoyance is just one example of how Charlie put education 
at the forefront of a march for human rights which everyone can join.
  I fervently believe in our responsibility to create communities of 
learning to provide all children with equal educational opportunity and 
to teach them how to use their minds to overcome bigotry and hatred. 
Charlie helped to shape that belief.
  Not only did he selflessly serve his community, but he cherished his 
role as a husband and as a father. I know I speak for all of those who 
had the privilege of knowing Charlie when I say his presence in our 
lives was present enough. He saw his life as a vessel to help others to 
succeed. I can think of no greater legacy. My prayers are with his wife 
of 49 years, Louise Tildon, his son Charles Tildon III, and his two 
grandchildren and his entire family. I thank them for sharing him with 
us, and I thank God for Charles Tildon's life of extraordinary service 
and unbounded grace.

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