[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 12069-12070]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   RECOGNIZING MR. WILLIAM RASPBERRY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 24, 2012

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the 
honorable Mr. William Raspberry. Mr. Raspberry was born on October 12, 
1935 to proud parents Mr. James Lee and Mrs. Willie Mae Raspberry. A 
native of Okolona, Mississippi, Mr. Raspberry has become a celebrated 
writer as a result of his commentary on social and political issues.
  Mr. Raspberry received his Bachelor's of Science Degree from Indiana 
Central College, now known as The University of Indianapolis, in 1958. 
After receiving his degree, he served as a public information officer 
with the United States Army from 1960 until 1962 at which time he began 
working at the Washington Post as a teletypist. In 1966, he was named

[[Page 12070]]

as a columnist for the Washington Post. As a result to his exemplary 
contributions in literature, Mr. Raspberry was first nominated for the 
Pulitzer Prize in 1982 prior to receiving the Pulitzer Prize for 
Commentary in 1994.
  Through his work with the Washington Post, Mr. Raspberry has dictated 
his strong opinions about the problems in American society. He has been 
noted for often writing about education, criminal justice, family, and 
racial matters in America. As a principal opinion on these particular 
issues, Mr. Raspberry has often been quoted in many different 
publications and has also been asked to speak at various conferences 
and seminars.
  In addition to providing a weekly column in the Washington Post, Mr. 
Raspberry has also served in other capacities throughout his lifetime. 
He served as a journalism instructor at Howard University from 1971-
1973; Member of the Board of Advisers, Poynter Institute for Media 
Studies, 1984; Member of the Board of Visitors, University of Maryland 
School of Journalism, 1985; television commentator for WTTG, 
Washington, DC, 1973-1975; Television Discussion Panelist, WRC-TV, 
Washington, DC, 1974-1975, and a Member of the Pulitzer Prize Board, 
1979-1986. As of 2008, Mr. Raspberry has also served as the President 
of ``Baby Steps'', a parent training and empowerment program based in 
Okolona, Mississippi. He is also the author of Looking Backward at Us, 
a collection of his columns from the 1980s.
  Mr. Raspberry has also received honorary degrees from Georgetown 
University, University of Maryland, and the University of Indianapolis; 
he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Colby College. He 
was also the Knight Professor of the Practice of Communications and 
Journalism at the Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke 
University. During his career, Mr. Raspberry has also served as a 
member of the National Association of Black Journalists, Capitol Press 
Club, and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated.
  On November 12, 1966, Mr. Raspberry married Sondra Patricia Dodson 
and together they had three children, Patricia, Angela, and Mark.

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