[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7044]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING JACOBY DICKENS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute 
to one of America's most prominent African American businessmen and 
financiers. Mr. Jacoby Dickens was born and grew up in Panama City, 
Florida, one of six children in a low-income family.
  The family moved to the south side of Chicago when Mr. Dickens was a 
teenager. He attended Wendell Phillips High School. After school he 
worked as a building engineer, saved his money, and began investing in 
real estate. He eventually purchased and managed a large number of 
apartment buildings before selling them in 1971.
  After investing in several bowling alleys in the Chicago area, he was 
asked to join the board of Seaway Bank in 1979. In 1983, he became 
chairman of the board and remained until his death earlier this year. 
Under his guidance and leadership, Seaway Bank and Trust Company became 
the largest Black-owned bank in Chicago with assets of $547 million.
  Mr. Dickens was a great civic activist and contributor to public 
causes. He served on the boards of Chicago State University, the School 
of Business at Florida A&M University, and the Chicago Urban League. He 
donated more than $1 million to Chicago State University's athletic 
center, which bears his name. He was a trustee at the Museum of Science 
and Industry and DePaul University, where a scholarship and loan 
program are named for him. In the 1980s, he was a key supporter and 
fundraiser for Harold Washington, who was elected the first African 
American mayor of Chicago.
  Jacoby Dickens was a man of vision, courage, and determination. He 
used his wisdom, business acumen, and money wisely, not only for 
himself and his family, but also for the uplifting of humanity. My 
condolences and well wishes go out to his wife, Ms. Veranda Dickens, 
their family, and all of the trustees and employees of Seaway Bank and 
Trust Company.

                              {time}  1040

  Mr. Dickens was, indeed, a man for the times and the seasons in which 
he lived. His bank gave loans in depressed communities and 
neighborhoods where people were hard-pressed to find resources. He will 
be sorely missed and always remembered.

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