[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6489-6490]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         IN CELEBRATION OF AMOS CHARLES HASTON'S 100TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. AL GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 29, 2014

  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would like to acknowledge the 
100th birthday of a respected educator and community leader, Amos 
Charles Haston. Born in Denison, Texas on this day in 1914 to Tilmon 
and Mary Haston, Mr. Haston rose from humble beginnings to become a 
respected leader.
  Tragedy struck early in Mr. Haston's life when his father was 
murdered in his presence in 1919. He and his mother subsequently moved 
to Wewoka, Oklahoma. He excelled in school, graduating as the 
salutatorian of his high school and achieving the status of all-state 
half-back for his football team. Mr. Haston worked, played varsity 
football, and sang on the college's travelling a capella choir while 
putting himself through college at Langston University. In 1934, he 
became a member of his beloved Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. at 
Langston. In 1937, Mr. Haston graduated with a Bachelor of Science 
degree in Science and Mathematics. He later attended the University of 
Colorado for post-graduate work; Texas Southern University, where he 
received his Masters of Education in Secondary Administration degree; 
and the University of Oklahoma, where he did course work toward a 
doctorate.
  In 1937, Mr. Haston took his first job out of college as a teacher in 
a one-room schoolhouse, simultaneously teaching grades 1-8. He 
eventually resigned and moved to Hugo, Oklahoma to accept a position as 
a math teacher, as well as the head football and basketball coach. 
During the summers, Mr. Haston worked as a porter for the railroad, 
traveling from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington to earn extra 
income. He met his wife of 73 years, the former Doris E. Sampson in 
Hugo. They married Christmas day in 1941 and remain married to this 
day.
  In August 1942, Mr. Haston was called to the service of his country 
for a period of 46 months, 27 months of which were served in combat in 
the Pacific Theater of World War II. Though his service began as a Buck 
Private in the Army, he was separated from the service as a Second 
Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. Mr. Haston's wife looked after 
his mother who became ill during his absence in the war.
  In September 1946, Mr. Haston was hired as a teacher in Ardmore, 
Oklahoma, where he also served as the assistant coach of the football 
and basketball teams. In February 1952, Mr. Haston and his wife had 
their son William, who presently serves as Counsel in the Legal 
Division of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in Washington, 
D.C.
  In 1954, Mr. Haston accepted a job as Principal of Lincoln High 
School in Nowata, Oklahoma. He resigned in 1958 to establish a home in 
Houston, Texas in an effort to provide better opportunities for his 
son. In Houston, he worked for the Houston Independent School District 
as a math teacher at Kashmere Gardens Jr./Sr. High School. Mr. Haston 
would go on to teach biology, chemistry, and physics. He also obtained 
the distinction of F.O.A. Science Specialist and was later promoted to 
Assistant Principal.
  In 1961, Mr. Haston and his family joined St. James Episcopal Church, 
where he served as a member of the Vestry, Sunday School 
Superintendent, Junior Warden, Senior Warden, and member of the 
Brothers of St. Andrew.
  Mr. Haston is a proud member of Kiwanis International and Alpha Phi 
Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He was the inspiration for Dr. Ronald Peters to 
work to establish Alpha's Brother's Keeper Program. On July 23, 2010, 
at Alpha's 90th General Convention, the Brother's Keeper Program became 
international and was renamed the ``A. Charles Haston Brother's Keeper 
Program.'' Mr. Haston is also the only member of Alpha Phi Alpha to 
maintain a membership for 80 years.
  When recently asked what the most significant event that had occurred 
in his life, he unhesitatingly said, ``The election of a Black man, 
Barack Hussein Obama, II, as the President of the United States.''
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, Amos Charles Haston, is a dedicated and 
loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, educator, 
veteran, and servant of all mankind. He is an exemplar for all those 
who aspire to selflessly serve others.

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