[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 18233-18234]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           POSTHUMOUS TRIBUTE TO SERGEANT WILLIE JAMES QUINCE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 29, 2010

  Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, I would like to call your attention to 
the life and work of an outstanding individual, the late Sergeant 
Willie James Quince of Paterson, New Jersey,

[[Page 18234]]

whose life will be celebrated during a memorial service on Monday, 
November 29, 2010, at the First A.M.E. Zion Church.
  It is only fitting that he be honored in this, the permanent record 
of the greatest democracy ever known, for he served countless others 
throughout his lifetime.
  Sergeant Willie James Quince was born in Valdosta, Georgia, in 1921 
to Mr. Remer Quince and Helen Braswell. His family moved to West Palm 
Beach, Florida, for where he finished elementary school and graduated 
from Industrial High School. He went on to courses at Purple Kerpels 
School of Mechanical Dentistry in New York City, NY. He then studied 4 
years at the Jones Barber School in Atlantic City, NJ, and the 
Interracial Barber College in Atlantic City, NJ, graduating in three 
years. After graduation, he moved to Paterson, N.J. in January 1958 and 
opened Quince's Barber Shop.
  He was married to Mary M. Quince for 61 years, and together they 
raised five children, Wiley ``Sonny'' Quince, William A. Quince 
(Linda), Madgeline Z. Quince, Sylvia A. Lucas, and Kelvin C. Quince 
(Cora); and also now have ten grandchildren and thirteen great 
grandchildren. Mr. Quince was a faithful husband, dedicated father, 
grandfather and great grandfather, and a committed community servant. 
He earned many accolades and had a long record of accomplishment as a 
forerunner for civil rights and a leader throughout Paterson. He was a 
long time member of First A.M.E. Zion Church where he was elected Man 
Of The Year multiple times, served on the Board of Trustees for 31 
years and served as Chairman for 15 years. He also served on the 
Stewart Board, Usher Board, The Dreamers, The Kitchen Cabinet, and The 
Zion Seniors.
  He served our Nation as a Drill Sergeant during World War II Army Air 
Force and received the Medal of Good Conduct, WWII Victory Medal and 
ATO Medal. He was an Honored Life Member of the NAACP Paterson Branch, 
a member of the Habitat for Humanity Paterson Chapter Tenants Selection 
Committee for Home Ownership. He was the 1st African-American elected 
chairman of the Paterson Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, and 
he served as Project Housing Manager of Christopher Columbus Housing 
Development and as Manager of the Riverside Terrace Housing 
Development. He also served as Paterson's 4th Ward Leader of the 
Passaic County Democratic Party for many years. He was known for his 
superb social mannerisms and good conversation.
  The job of a United States Congressman involves much that is 
rewarding, yet nothing compares to recognizing the lifetime achievement 
of a giving person such as Sergeant Willie James Quince.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that you join our colleagues, Willie's family 
and friends, and me in recognizing the late Sergeant Willie James 
Quince's outstanding life of service to his community.

                          ____________________