[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8338]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 REMEMBERING SENATOR RALPH A. HUNT, SR.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Price) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my 
colleague, Mr. Butterfield, in honoring the life of a towering figure 
in North Carolina politics, Senator Ralph Hunt, Sr., of Durham.
  I first got to know Senator Hunt early in my political career when I 
was chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party. Ralph was already 
a business and community leader in Durham, having served in the U.S. 
Army, taught in Durham city schools, started a career in business, and 
served as one of the first African-American members of the city 
council, where he served from 1975 to 1985, including 3 years as mayor 
pro tempore.
  Ralph was a genial, energetic, and beloved leader. He was also a 
tireless advocate for the needs of the people of Durham--all of the 
people. It is no coincidence that the city has undergone a renaissance 
over the course of Ralph's long career. He served as executive director 
of the Durham Business and Professional Chain for over a decade. He 
provided leadership to the Mutual Savings and Loan Association, which 
provided vital access to capital for many Durham residents; and to the 
Downtown Durham Revitalization Foundation board, which helped pave the 
way for the thriving downtown we see today.
  Ralph, of course, is best known, as my colleague has noted, for his 
service in the North Carolina Senate from 1985 to 1993, and again from 
2004 to 2005. He held various leadership positions in our caucus, and 
he mentored a new generation of progressive elected officials. The 
North Carolina Senate still bears the mark of his leadership.
  In the intervening years, between those years of service in the 
Senate, he served with distinction on the North Carolina Utilities 
Commission. More recently--and I respect the fact that Ralph took this 
on late in his life--he assumed the challenge of chairing the Durham 
Committee on the Affairs of Black People at a critical juncture for 
that organization. In fact, Ralph always stepped up to the plate and 
always took on challenges when he was needed. He was an exemplary 
citizen. He was also a devoted husband, a loving father and 
grandfather, and a community leader who will long be remembered in 
Durham and throughout our State.
  As we mourn his passing, we give thanks for his life of strong 
citizenship and service.

                          ____________________