[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15464]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         NORTH CAROLINA OPPORTUNITIES INDUSTRIALIZATION CENTER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Butterfield) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a great 
American, Howard Curtis Jones, a constituent and dear friend who is the 
founder and president of the Wilson, North Carolina, Opportunities 
Industrialization Center.
  This past Monday, September 29, Mr. Jones was presented with the 
Outstanding Rural Leader of the Year award at an auspicious occasion in 
Raleigh, North Carolina, the highest award bestowed by the North 
Carolina Rural Center and the Rural Economic Development organization.
  This recognition could not be awarded to a more deserving individual. 
Mr. Jones has long been an inspiration to many with his compassion and 
work. I am honored to call Howard Jones my friend of more than 45 
years.
  The Rural Leader award recognizes an individual who demonstrates 
remarkable commitment to improving the way of life in rural North 
Carolina by enhancing the community and positively impacting the 
quality of life for its residents.
  Mr. Jones has been helping people from Wilson and surrounding 
communities for more than 40 years. He has earned this recognition 
through decades of hard work and community involvement.
  Born in Sims, North Carolina, during the Depression in 1933 as one of 
16 children, Howard has spent the majority of his life trying to 
empower disadvantaged populations in rural eastern North Carolina. He 
motivates them to reach their full potential by teaching vocational 
skills and helping them secure gainful employment.
  In 1972, after returning to his home community from employment in New 
York City, Mr. Jones started OIC of Wilson, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt 
organization, with the goal of helping to empower individuals to find 
employment opportunities.
  Wilson OIC, as we call it, provides services to disadvantaged youth 
and adults, including prevocational training, employment readiness and 
referral services, health educational programs, and programs to help 
dislocated workers transition to new careers.
  Remarkably, Mr. Jones began OIC with little more than his faith in 
God and an unshakeable resolve and steadfast dedication that it could 
be done. He had no funding. He had no staff when he started except 
volunteers.
  Over the years, Wilson OIC has expanded to employ 35 workers and 
place more than 200 citizens per year in jobs. Importantly, Wilson OIC 
adapts the services and training they provide through our changing 
world and assists clients in acquiring the skills needed to compete in 
the 21st century economy.
  For 10 years, I had the honor of serving as board chair for Wilson 
OIC and was involved in helping to secure its present site, which was 
an abandoned elementary school in the city.
  In addition, Mr. Speaker, to Mr. Jones' work with OIC, he has been a 
leader among OICs nationally and internationally. He was a personal 
friend and confidant of the national founder, the Reverend Dr. Leon 
Howard Sullivan, who must be remembered as the first African American 
to serve on the board of directors for General Motors and the author of 
the Sullivan principles, which led to the dismantling of South Africa's 
system of apartheid.
  Mr. Speaker, Howard Jones has received more than 100 awards during 
his career: in 1987, he received the Governor's Award for Outstanding 
Volunteer Service; in 1987, he was recognized at the national level 
with the Thomas Jefferson Award; in 1997, President Clinton presented 
Mr. Jones with the Lifetime Achievement Jefferson Award; and in 2009, 
he received the First Community Stellar Award by Success Dynamics. The 
list goes on and on.
  Finally, Howard Jones and Wilson OIC, four times each year, 
distribute thousands of pounds of food to low-income families in the 
community. When they conduct their food distribution program, hundreds 
of citizens literally line up through the night to receive these 
commodities. Howard Jones, Mr. Speaker, is an icon in our community.
  Howard has been married to his wife, Sylvia Neal Jones, for many 
years. He is the father of five adult children and seven grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Howard 
Curtis Jones on being selected as Outstanding Rural Leader of the Year. 
He is most deserving of this honor. Mr. Jones is an example of how a 
single individual can make an immense positive impact in his community, 
in his State, and in his country.

                          ____________________