[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17139-17140]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF DR. YVONNE KENNEDY

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 13, 2012

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I 
rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding educator and public 
servant, Dr. Yvonne Kennedy. Sadly, Dr. Kennedy passed away on 
Saturday, December 8, 2012. A number of tribute events will be held in 
Mobile, Alabama starting December 14, 2012 and culminating with a State 
Funeral on Saturday, December 15 at 11:00 a.m. at the Mobile Convention 
Center.
  Dr. Yvonne Kennedy was born on January 8, 1945. A Mobile, Alabama 
native, she and I were schoolmates in high school. She received an 
Associate's degree from S.D. Bishop State Junior College, a Bachelor's 
degree from Alabama State University and a Master's from Morgan State 
University. She

[[Page 17140]]

also earned her Ph.D. from the University of Alabama and was awarded an 
Honorary Doctor of Letters from Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee.
  Dr. Kennedy was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 
April 1979, representing the 97th District in Mobile County. Dr. 
Kennedy was at the forefront of the fight against Alabama's voter ID 
law. She was also a strong advocate of extending voting rights to ex-
felons in Alabama. She served as Ranking Minority Member of the 
Economic Development and Tourism and the Children and Senior Advocacy 
House Committees. She also served on the Transportation, Utilities and 
Infrastructure Committee.
  Dr. Kennedy served as president of Bishop State Community College 
from 1981 to 2007. She was appointed as the second president after the 
passing of the first president, my father, Dr. Sanford D. Bishop, Sr., 
for whom the college was named. During her tenure, the college was 
expanded from one campus to three and dramatically broadened the 
curriculum.
  After being initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in 1964 
at Alabama State University, Dr. Kennedy served in several leadership 
positions from the local to the national level. She served as the 
sorority's 19th National President from 1988-1992. During her tenure as 
president of Delta, she launched SCHOOL AMERICA, a program to promote 
literacy issues. Under her leadership, Delta Sigma Theta completed the 
renovations of its national headquarters and made significant 
achievements in advancing its global impact.
  Dr. Kennedy loved her community dearly, and in addition to 
representing it in the state legislature, she was actively involved 
within it. She served as Chairman of the Mobile County United Negro 
College Fund Campaign, Youth Director for the Board of Christian 
Education--Southeast Alabama Conference, and former Chairperson of the 
Alabama Legislative Black Caucus. She was also a member of the Board of 
the American Association for Higher Education and America's Junior Miss 
Scholarship Foundation, Inc., as well as a Trustee of Miles College in 
Fairfield, Alabama. She was a lifelong member of Stewart Memorial 
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
  On a more personal note, I first met Yvonne as a 12-year-old having 
to speak behind her on a Youth Day program at the Stone Street Baptist 
Church in Mobile. She wowed the congregation and made me determined 
never to follow her on a program again! While she matriculated at 
Bishop State Junior College, she was a student assistant in the 
President's Office. The President, my father, spoke often and proudly 
of her intellect, eloquence and leadership potential. While he died 
before she was named to succeed him, he was proud that she and another 
former student were among the final candidates. Moreover, upon my 
father's death, she faithfully supported and assisted my mother, Mrs. 
Minnie S. Bishop, a ``Delta Dear,'' during the sunset years of her 
life.
  Dr. Benjamin E. Mays often said: ``You make your living by what you 
get, you make your life by what you give.'' Dr. Yvonne Kennedy 
certainly made a life worthy of emulation. We are all blessed that she 
gave so much to the Mobile community, the state of Alabama, and our 
great nation. The world is better because she passed this way. She will 
be missed.
  Mr. Speaker, my wife Vivian and I would like to extend our deepest 
sympathies to Dr. Kennedy's family and friends during this difficult 
time. May they be consoled and comforted by their abiding faith and the 
Holy Spirit in the days, weeks and months ahead.

                          ____________________