[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2733]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          IN MEMORY OF THE HONORABLE CHARLES ``CHUCK'' BURRIS

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 4, 2010

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
memory of the Honorable Charles ``Chuck'' Burris, a man who dedicated 
his life to improve Georgia. An accomplished public servant who was 
devoted to his community, state, country, his family, and friends, 
Chuck passed away on February 12, 2009. Tomorrow, on what would have 
been his 59th birthday, we celebrate his life.
  Chuck Burris' numerous accomplishments span an incredible career. He 
began as a Merrill Scholar at Morehouse College and received 
proclamations from the Georgia State House and Senate. Chuck was a 
leader, serving as a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., 100 
Black Men (DeKalb Chapter), Leadership DeKalb, DeKalb Democratic Club, 
National Democratic Club, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, 
Spiritual Living Center of Atlanta, Bethsaida Baptist Church (Stone 
Mountain), Martin Luther King March Committee, Stone Mountain Memorial 
Association, Georgia Municipal Association, Georgia Association of 
Black Elected Officials, Georgia Conference of Black Mayors, National 
Conference of Black Mayors, U.S. Conference of Mayors, and as the Third 
Vice President of the World Conference of Mayors. He was appointed by 
Governor Roy Barnes to sit on the board of Stone Mountain Park and was 
an invited guest of First Lady Hillary Clinton at the 1998 State of the 
Union Address. These roles and accolades are merely titles, and do not 
fully explain the extent of his work.
  His legacy is best remembered through his initiatives. While serving 
as Executive Director of the Southern Regional Council, Chuck led an 
initiative, which was cosponsored by the Carter Center Library, to 
recognize the 50th Anniversary of Brown vs. the Board of Education. As 
Mayor of Stone Mountain, he installed a 5,000-pound ``Freedom Bell'' on 
Main Street in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s declaration to 
``let freedom ring from Stone Mountain, Georgia!''
  As the first African-American mayor of Stone Mountain, he did more 
than bridge a racial gap. One of Chuck's first accomplishments as Mayor 
was uniting Stone Mountain by installing six miles of sidewalks. By 
making Stone Mountain pedestrian-friendly, he connected downtown 
businesses with residential areas, saying, ``When people walk through 
town, they get to know their neighbors, and this enhances their sense 
of community.''
  The community was not always an inclusive one. Stone Mountain was 
once dominated by the Ku Klux Klan, but Chuck declared there's ``a new 
Clan in Stone Mountain.'' He spelled it with a C: C-L-A-N, for Citizens 
Living As Neighbors. Now, it is a home where all are welcome, due in 
part to the tremendous dedication and work of Chuck Burris. Chuck did 
everything he could to honor Stone Mountain and the state of Georgia, 
and it is fitting that he be honored tomorrow.

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