[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 849]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            PATRICIA SPENCER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KATHY CASTOR

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 28, 2016

  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and 
honor the life of an extraordinary leader and passionate advocate for 
freedom and justice, Ms. Patricia Spencer.
  Growing up in Montgomery, Alabama in the 1930s, Patricia Spencer 
followed in her mother and grandmother's footsteps becoming a member of 
the NAACP at the age of seven, a group which she was still a member of 
72 years later. At the age of nineteen, while serving as Secretary of 
the local NAACP branch, Ms. Spencer received the news that her mentor 
on the NAACP Youth Council, Rosa Parks, was arrested while riding the 
Montgomery bus. Ms. Spencer immediately started churning out fliers 
urging others to boycott the bus. During this time Ms. Spencer also 
babysat Yolanda King, the first eldest child of Martin Luther King, Jr.
  Ms. Spencer graduated from Alabama State University and then moved to 
Orlando, FL to take a position as an operator with Southern Bell, the 
first African American to hold this position. From there she moved to 
Detroit and served 13 years on the local school board. In recognition 
of her service to the Detroit area, the Martin Luther King, Jr. High 
School Auditorium and the swimming facility at Charles Kettering High 
School bear her name. In the mid 1990s she moved to Tampa, FL. Once 
settled in, she immediately started to volunteer with the Hillsborough 
NAACP branch, where she used her vast knowledge of the organization's 
rules to mentor members and secure funding for the branch. She served 
as Membership Chair and Area Director for the NAACP's state conference 
as well as Secretary of the Hillsborough County chapter. She will 
forever be remembered for her constant efforts to boost NAACP 
membership.
  In addition to her work with the NAACP, Ms. Spencer also co-chaired 
the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technologic and Scientific Olympics. This 
program recruits high school students to compete in science and visual 
arts competitions. In 2007, Governor Charlie Crist appointed her as a 
member of the Hillsborough County Civil Service Board.
  Ms. Spencer will be forever remembered as a leader in the Tampa Bay 
community for her unequivocal support of justice and fairness. On 
December 15th, 2015, she passed away two days after her 79th birthday. 
Mr. Speaker, I join the Tampa Bay community in honoring Ms. Patricia 
Spencer for her lifelong commitment to service.

                          ____________________