[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14517]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1230
                          TRIBUTE TO PAT HILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rush) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
  Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an activist, a 
crusader, an educator, a warrior in the fight for civil rights, and an 
American heroine, Ms. Patricia Hill.
  For those who did not know Pat Hill, who passed away earlier this 
week, she was many things. She was an athlete, an educator, and a 
former Chicago police officer, just to name a few of her endeavors.
  She was the eldest daughter of Lucille Fleming and Hercules 
Richardson. Pat Hill was an early track star. As a member of Chicago's 
Mayor Daley's Youth Foundation's track team, she was mentored by 
Olympians Willye White and Ira Murchison; and Pat missed making the 
1968 U.S. Olympic Team by one-quarter of an inch.
  Her athleticism and pioneering spirit extended beyond the track, Mr. 
Speaker. Pat Hill was also a trailblazer in women's professional 
basketball when she joined the Chicago Debs in the early 1970s.
  After completing her college degree, Pat Hill shared her love and 
knowledge of sports by becoming a physical education teacher in the 
Chicago Public Schools. She held that position until she left to become 
a member of the Chicago Police Department, where she would rise to work 
with one of Chicago's other trailblazers as a bodyguard for the late 
Chicago mayor, Harold Washington.
  Mr. Speaker, even before Pat Hill became a member of the Chicago 
Police Department, she had been inspired by the work of the Afro-
American Patrolmen's League to uncover the truth behind the murder of 
my dear friend, Fred Hampton, in the late 1960s. After Pat became a 
member of the Chicago Police Department, she worked with the Afro-
American Patrolmen's League to improve minority hiring and women's 
inclusion, and, ultimately, she rose as the executive director of the 
AAPL.
  After Pat retired as a police officer, she served as a lecturer at 
the Northeastern Illinois University's Carruthers Center for Inner City 
Studies, where she would take classes to, among many places, Selma, 
Alabama, to ensure that the lessons and experiences of Bloody Sunday 
and others will never be forgotten.
  Mr. Speaker, it is very difficult for me to summarize the life and 
accomplishments of an individual like Ms. Patricia Hill in a few short 
moments, but, suffice it to say, the city and the people of Chicago, 
and the people all across this Nation are forever dedicated to Pat Hill 
for the strides she made on behalf of all of us.
  Mr. Speaker, my family and I are personally indebted to Ms. Patricia 
Hill for the decades-long friendship and love that she shared with my 
late wife, Carolyn, and my entire family.
  Pat, while we are saddened by your departure and saddened that you 
are no longer with us in the Earth realm, we know that you have a 
better seat than all of us and that you are in a better place. We find 
comfort in the Bible, as written in the book of Matthew 5:4, that says: 
``Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.''
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today and honor Ms. Pat Hill--my friend, my 
family's friend, and a great American. We truly are comforted because 
we truly know that Pat Hill is blessed, and we are blessed also.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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