[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 8800-8801]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  A TRIBUTE TO SARAH ELIZABETH WILLIAMS, SEPTEMBER 3, 1918-MAY 9, 2015

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. WM. LACY CLAY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 4, 2015

  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
extraordinary woman and a life-long friend to my family, the late Sarah 
Elizabeth Williams.
  Sarah Elizabeth Williams was born on September 3, 1918 in 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the oldest of four children and the 
only daughter born to Rev. Charles E. Williams and Ethel Davis 
Williams. Her three brothers, Charles, Matthew, and James preceded her 
in death.
  When Sarah was very young, the family moved to historic La Mott, a 
suburb of Philadelphia, located in Cheltenham Township in Montgomery 
County, Pennsylvania. In 1885 the village was officially named for the 
famous abolitionist and suffragette, Lucretia Mott, who had moved to 
the area in 1850. Many longtime residents like Sarah as well as new 
ones were proud of their community's heritage which stood as an 
important landmark in black history. One of the first communities to 
encourage integrated living, the village represented a turning point in 
the social and racial development of residential communities in the 
post-Civil War era. ``Roadside'', the home of Lucretia Mott, was a stop 
for slaves traveling the Underground Railroad north to safety.
  After graduating from Cheltenham High School, Sarah moved to Norfolk, 
Virginia, attending Virginia Union Jr. College for two years. She took 
classes in English, Biology, and Zoology, before returning home to help 
look after her three brothers following her mother's illness and death.
  For many years, Sarah worked as a technician at the Fels Research 
Institute at Temple University in Philadelphia. Her marriages ended in 
divorce, but out of the union she had one child, Sandra.
  Always looking to explore new horizons, Sarah took the Federal Civil 
Service exam and moved to Washington, D.C., in 1950 to secure 
employment in the federal government.
  Sarah, affectionately known as ``Gramm'' by family and friends, 
worked for H.E.W. in Washington, D.C., and the Army Corps of Engineers 
in Gravely Point, Virginia. She transferred to the U.S. Department of 
Justice in 1963, and worked there in the Civil Rights Division. At the 
Department of Justice Sarah provided support to several attorneys, 
among them her heroes, Thurgood Marshall, and Assistant Attorney 
General, John Doar.
  In 1968 and 1969, Sarah traveled with legal teams to Montgomery and 
Birmingham, Alabama, and to Chicago, Illinois, to help prepare briefs 
for various trials. The duration of these trips ranged from three days 
to as many as three weeks for the trial in Birmingham. One important 
case in 1980 involved an appeal in a suit alleging brutality and other 
unlawful practices on the part of the Philadelphia Police Department. 
Sarah always said her work with the attorneys in the division to combat 
racial and various other forms of discrimination in housing, education, 
and employment, while enforcing civil and voting rights, gave her a 
sense of pride and purpose and she received many special achievement 
awards for her ``Superior Performance''.
  Sarah retired in 1983 but always stayed connected to her former 
colleagues, and in 2007, was the oldest former employee to attend the 
Commemoration of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division's 50th 
anniversary at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C.
  Prior to retirement, Sarah began living with her daughter and her 
husband, E. Lucien Cox, in Montgomery County, Maryland. She was a 
wonderful influence in the lives of her three grandchildren and family 
friends, providing them with much of her wisdom and experience. Sarah's 
example helped them to appreciate the value of hard work, commitment, 
and best of all, joie de vivre.
  After retiring Sarah was able to travel to interesting places 
throughout the world, become more active in her church, and dote on her 
seven great grandchildren, as well as volunteering with reading 
programs at local schools. She continued to be active until age 87, 
when her health began to fail.
  Sarah, to quote Maya Anjelou, was truly a ``phenomenal woman'', who 
always seemed to be ahead of the curve. Her interest in ecology and 
nature, and even encouraging the grandchildren to recycle, goes back 45 
years. She also stayed relevant by listening to and engaging young 
people. They learned from her and she learned from them and respected 
their views.
  Sarah's sense of humor was legendary. Everyone who met her knew she 
never missed a beat. You never could predict what was coming next, but 
you just knew it would be memorable. There will never be another like 
``Gramm''.
  When Sarah's family moved near her beloved Chesapeake Bay, to the 
Eastern Shore of Maryland in 2009, she accompanied them. She was a 
resident at the Berlin Maryland Nursing Center for five years and was 
cognitive and witty up until her passing on May 9, 2015. One of her 
greatest joys was living to see President Barack Obama elected twice, 
and to see Loretta Lynch confirmed as U.S. Attorney General. As she 
said, ``I never thought I would live to see all of this''.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge Members of Congress to join me in honoring the 
memory of Sarah Elizabeth Williams. Our wonderful memories of her will 
sustain us all.

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