Memorial Tribute to Pr. Sadie T

MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO PR. SADIE T. M. ALEXANDER

INVITE ALL ARCHONS AND ARCHOUSAI OF ALPHA BOULE TO EITHER STAND OR

JOIN ME AT THE PLATFORM.

PR- RAY ALEXANDER MINTER AND MRS. MARY ELIZABETH ALEXANDER PROWN,

THESE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN STANDING WITH ME BEFORE YOU ARE SOME OF

THE ARCHONS AND ARCHOUSAI OF ALPHA BOULE WHO LOVED AND RESPECTED YOUR SAINTED MOTHER, DR. SADIE = ALEXANDER AND ALSO YOUR FATHER,

RAYMOND PACE ALEXANDER, Eso.

THE ARCHONS AND ARCHOUSAI OF ALPHA BOULE SIGMA PI CHI FRATERNITY,

HAVE COME THIS AFTERNOON TO THIS HISTORIC CHURCH TO JOIN THE TWO OF

YOU, DAUGHTERS OF DR. SADIE T. M. ALEXANDER AND HER RELATIVES AND

FRIENDS, IN PAYING TRIBUTE TO YOUR MOTHER.WE HAVE ALSO COME TO ASSIST

YOU, HER BELOVED DAUGHTERS, IN BEARING THE BURDEN OF YOUR LOSS-

-2- WE DO HOPE THAT OUR PRESENCE HERE TODAY AND THE WORDS SAID DURING

THESE SERVICES WILL GIVE YOU COMFORT AND MAKE THE BURDEN LIGHTER.

YOUR MOTHER ARCHOUSA SADIE T. M. ALEXANDER WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED

BY US

0 FOR THE VITALITY AND MESSAGE OF HER PERSONALITY;

0 THE ATTENTION HER PRESENCE COMMANDED;

-3- 1 4

o FOR HER BRILLANCE AS A LAWYER AND FOR HER PERSONAL INTELLECT;

0 FOR HER CHARMING DIGNITY;

0 FOR HER ELOQUENCE AS A SPEAKER;

-4- 0

0 FOR THE SINCERITY AND VIGOR SHE ATTACHED TO ALL SHE DID AND SAID;

* FOR HER SENSITIVITY AND CARING AS A PERSON.

YOUR MOTHER WAS THE FIRST ARCHOUSA TO INVITE ALL OF THE WIVES OF THE

ARCHONS OF ALPHA 3OULE. TO MEET AT HER HOME FOR THE PURPOSE OF ORGANI-

ZING THEMSELVES AS THE ARCHOUSAI OF ALPHA BOULE. SHE WILL ALWAYS BE

REMEMBERED BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH SHE WAS THE SPONSOR, CONVENER AND

-5- HOSTESS OF THAT FIRST MEETING IN HER HOME, SHE DECLINED THE OFFER TO

BE THE LEADER AND COORDINATOR OF THE ARCHOUSAI.

INSTEAD, SHE SUPPORTED THE ELECTION OF ARCHOUSA PRANCES V. ATKINSON

TO BE THE FIRST TO HOLD THE POSITION-

THIS IS MAGNANIMITY; THIS IS HUMILITY; THIS IS UNSELFISHNESS.

-6- a '

I PERSONALLY REMEMBER YOUR MOTHER WHEN I WAS A STUDENT AT THE UNI-

VERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA IN THE EARLY 50's. YOUR PARENTS, T RECALL,

LED THE GROUP OF DISTINGUISHED PHILADELPHIANS WHO SPONSORED A VISIT

TO PHILADELPHIA &FTHE LIBERIAN AMBASSADOR IN WASHINGTON. LIBERIA,

BEING THE FIRST AND AT THAT TIME, THE ONLY REPUBLIC IN AFRICA, WAS

FOUNDED BY SLACK AMERICANS IN 1847- IT WAS A VISIT FIT FOR A HEAD OF

STATE.

-7- THE AMBASSADOR ,lsiii.e, HIS EXCELLENCY C. L. SIMPSON, THE FORMER

VICE PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA, WAS A GOOD FRIEND OF MY PARENTS. 'E,

KNOWING THAT I WAS A STUDENT HERE AT THE 1IHARTON SCHOOL, INVITED

ME TO BE A MEMBER OF HIS ENTOURAGE-

I HAD THE PRIVILEGE ON THAT OCCASION TO MEET YOUR MOTHER- SHE WAS

MOST WARM AND GRACIOUS TO ME A FOREIGN STUDENT- ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS

AFTER THE VISIT OF AMBASSADOR SIMPSON, I WAS INVITED TO THEIR HOME

-8- AND YOUR MOTHER ALWAYS OFFERED ME MUCH NEEDED ADVICE, HIGHLY APPRE-

CIATED ENCOURAGEMENT, AND GRACIOUS HOSPITALITY-

I SHALL NEVER FORGET YOUP MOTHER AND I SHALL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL.

DR. RAY ALEXANDER MINTER AND MRS. MARY ELIZABETH ALEXANDER BROWN,

ALPHA POULE, SIGMA PIPHI FRATERNITY IS HONORED BY YOUR INVITATION TO

PARTICIPATE IN THIS MEMORIAL SERVICE.

-9- r

1 "

ALPHA BOULE IS BLESSED TO HAVE HAD PR- SADIE 1 -ALEXANDER AS THE

ARCHOUSA OF ONE OF OUR MOST REVERED ARCHONS.

ALPHA BOULE IS GREATER BECAUSE YOUR MOTHER WAS AMONG US.

ALL OF THE ARCHONS AND ARCHOUSAI ARE INDEBTED TO HER FOR BRINGING THE

ARCHOUSAI OF ALPHA BOULE TOGETHER-

-10- 4, MAY SHE REST IN PERPETUAL PEACE AND MAY YOU ALWAYS FIND ASSURANCE

AND STRENGTH IN THE BIBLICAL SAYING "I WAS YOUNG AND NOW I AM OLD

BUT I HAVE NEVER SEEN THE RIGHTEOUS FORSAKEN OR THEIR SEEDS BEGGING

BREAD."

WE WISH GOD'S CONTINUING BLESSINGS BE UPON BOTH OF YOU.

12/6/89

-11- MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO DR. SADIE TANNER MOSSELL ALEXANDER

Dr. Ray Alexander Minter and Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Alexander Brown, these ladies and gentlemen standing with me before you are some of the Archons and Archousai of Alpha Boule who loved and respected your sainted mother, Dr. Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander and also your father, Raymond Pace Alexander, Esq.

The Archons and Archousai of Alpha Boule Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, have come this afternoon to this historic church to join the two of you, daughters of Dr. Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander and her relatives and friends, in paying tribute to your mother.We have also come to assist you, her beloved daughters, in bearing the burden of your loss. We do hope that our presence here today and the words said during these services will give you comfort and make the burden lighter.

Your mother Archousa Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander will always be remembered by us

O for the vitality and message of her personality;

o the attention her presence commanded;

for her brillance as a lawyer and for her personal intellect;

0 for her charming dignity;

0 for her eloquence as a speaker; * for the sincerity and vigor she attached to all she did and said;

o for her sensitivity and caring as a person.

Your mother was the first Archousa to invite all of the wives of the

Archons of Alpha Boule to meet at her home for the purpose of organi- zing themselves as the Archousai of Alpha Boule. She will always be remembered because even though she was the sponsor, convener and hostess of that first meeting in her home, she declined the offer to be the leader and coordinator of the Archousai.

Instead, she supported the election of Archousa Frances V. Atkinson to be the first to hold the position.

This is magnanimity; this is humility; this is unselfishness.

-3- I personally remember your mother when I was a student at the Uni-

versity of Pennsylvania in the early 50's. Your parents, I recall,

led the group of distinguished Philadelphians who sponsored a visit to Philadelphia of the Liberian Ambassador in Washington. Liberia, being the first and at that time, the only Republic in Africa, was founded by Black Americans in 1847. It was a visit fit for a Head of

State.

The Ambassador at that time, His Excellency C. L. Simpson, the former

Vice President of Liberia, was a good friend of my parents. He, knowing that I was a student here at the Uharton School, invited me to be a member of his entourage.

I had the privilege on that occasion to meet your mother. She was most warm and gracious to me a foreign student. On several occasions after the visit of Ambassador Simpson, I was invited to their home

-4- I and your mother always offered me much needed advice, highly appre- ciated encouragement, and gracious hospitality.

I shall never forget your mother and I shall always be grateful.

Dr. Ray Alexander Minter and Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Alexander Brown,

Alpha Boule, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity is honored by your invitation to participate in this memorial service.

Alpha Boule is blessed to have had Dr. Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander as the Archousa of one of our most revered Archons.

Alpha Boule is greater because your mother was among us.

All of the Archons and Archousai are indebted to her for bringing the

Archousai of Alpha Boule together.

-5- May she rest in perpetual peace and may you always find assurance and strength in the Biblical saying "I was young and now I am old but I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their seeds begging bread."

We wish God's continuing blessings be upon both of you.

-6-

12/6/89 1-

w:/speech/Alexndr (#10)

SADIE T. M. ALEXANDER:

More than Merely the "First"

Statement

Judge A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr.

Memorial Services for Sadie T.M. Alexander

Bethel A.M.E. Church - Philadelphia, PA

December 6, 1989

1 4 4

We meet here this afternoon in this historic church to

pay tribute to Sadie T. M. Alexander for reasons more profound

than ordinarily exist in memorial services. We meet to pay

tribute to the excellence of Sadie Alexander's entire life, to

her unsurpassed standard of performance, her clarity of thought,

her persistent and effective advocacy for human rights, and her

skill as a bridge builder so that persons of diverse races and

religions could join together in a universal fellowship for all

of mankind. We thank God for the legacy she has left us. Her

performance has been a standard by which we can measure the

fidelity and effectiveness of all others.

Though we are proud of her many firsts, it would be

deceptive if we noted merely those attainments where she became

the first black or the first woman to overcome formidable

barriers. Sadie Alexander left us a legacy more significant than

that of being the first woman or the first black to have

precedental achievement. What is more important is that after

she achieved coveted opportunities, she performed with such

excellence, fidelity, integrity and wisdom that thereafter, no

one could question whether blacks or women were ready for the

demanding professional challenges that lay ahead. For in the

long run, what does it profit our society if any black or any

woman becomes the first to fill a major position, but thereafter

fails to bring to that position heightened consciousness, steady

efficiency, unimpeachable integrity, or exceptional dedication,

2 A

that makes his or her performance in office an appropriate

landmark of excellence by which others should be evaluated?

We rejoice because no one ever has had to apologize for

Sadie Alexander's performance. For all of her life, Sadie

Alexander was the north star of excellence, thus an unerring

signal visible to all of us as we attempt to navigate our smaller

boats to the shores of a more just, competent and fair society.

Her standards set the course, not solely because she was first,

but because after getting those opportunies, in most settings she

was also the best!!

Of course, it is fascinating to ponder the dazzling heights

Sadie would have reached if we had had a society free of race and

gender bias. Let us in this memorial service be not too solemn

or content with recording the facts or data of Sadie's life.

Sadie was a dreamer, and thus we should fantasize a bit and

speculate about what would have happened if she were 30 years

younger, and living in a society of true equal opportunity,

whereby she was elected into the highest office in the land. I

believe that by her performance she would have been a notch above

England's Margaret Thatcher, and it would have been fascinating

to see Mikhail Gorbachev, Fidel Castro, Francois Mitterrand or

Helmut Kohl negotiating with the steel spined and sharp witted Sadie at the centers of international power.

It is beyond dispute that if she had been at the White

House (in charge of the Oval Office) she would have been light years ahead of some of our recent presidents. If appointed to

3 #' -

the Supreme Court, Sadie would have been as philosophical as a

Justice Holmes, as analytical as a Justice Brandeis, as

determined as Justice Brennan, as compassionate as Chief Justice

Earl Warren, and as wise as a Judge William Henry Hastie and

Justice Thurgood Marshall.

But now is not the time to speak of what she could

have been if the world were fair. Sadie's great achievements

give us every reason to celebrate for what she did accomplish.

It is enough to say that the high court of history has a special

place for her - not merely for being first so often, but more

important, because she was excellent, wise, persistent, and fair

after she got those opportunities. She is now part of that

historic chorus, composed of the great voices of the past:

Sojourner Truth, Mary McCloud Bethune, Mahatma Gandhi, Frederick

Douglass, John F. Kennedy, Earl Warren, Richardson Dilworth,

Stephen Biko, Martin Luther King,.Richard Allen, Charles Hamilton

Houston, and Raymond Pace Alexander. They along with Sadie have

left us a symphony in song and an encyclopedia with messages that

will forever inspire men and women of all generations throughout

the world. Their voices, along with Sadie's, proclaim the lofty

standards that we should seek to emulate as part of our

individual rendezvous with destiny.

4 _'I

w:/speech/Alexndr (#10)

SADIE T. M. ALEXANDER:

More than Merely the "First"

Statement

Judge A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr.

Memorial Services for Sadie T.M. Alexander

Bethel A.M.E. Church - Philadelphia, PA

December 6, 1989

1 We meet here this afternoon in this historic church to pay tribute to Sadie T. M. Alexander for reasons more profound than ordinarily exist in memorial services. We meet to pay tribute to the excellence of Sadie Alexander's entire life, to her unsurpassed standard of performance, her clarity of thought, her persistent and effective advocacy for human rights, and her skill as a bridge builder so that persons of diverse races and religions could join together in a universal fellowship for all of mankind. We thank God for the legacy she has left us. Her performance has been a standard by which we can measure the fidelity and effectiveness of all others.

Though we are proud of her many firsts, it would be deceptive if we noted merely those attainments where she became the first black or the first woman to overcome formidable barriers. Sadie Alexander left us a legacy more significant than that of being the first woman or the first black to have precedental achievement. What is more important is that after she achieved coveted opportunities, she performed with such excellence, fidelity, integrity and wisdom that thereafter, no one could question whether blacks or women were ready for the demanding professional challenges that lay ahead. For in the long run, what does it profit our society if any black or any woman becomes the first to fill a major position, but thereafter fails to bring to that position heightened consciousness, steady efficiency, unimpeachable integrity, or exceptional dedication,

2 10. 4

that makes his or her performance in office an appropriate

landmark of excellence by which others should be evaluated?

We rejoice because no one ever has had to apologize for

Sadie Alexander's performance. For all of her life, Sadie

Alexander was the north star of excellence, thus an unerring

signal visible to all of us as we attempt to navigate our smaller

boats to the shores of a more just, competent and fair society.

Her standards set the course, not solely because she was first,

but because after getting those opportunies, in most settings she

was also the best!!

Of course, it is fascinating to ponder the dazzling heights

Sadie would have reached if we had had a society free of race and

gender bias. Let us in this memorial service be not too solemn

or content with recording the facts or data of Sadie's life.

Sadie was a dreamer, and thus we should fantasize a bit and

speculate about what would have happened if she were 30 years

younger, and living in a society of true equal opportunity,

whereby she was elected into the highest office in the land. I

believe that by her performance she would have been a notch above

England's Margaret Thatcher, and it would have been fascinating

to see Mikhail Gorbachev, Fidel Castro, Francois Mitterrand or

Helmut Kohl negotiating with the steel spined and sharp witted

Sadie at the centers of international power.

It is beyond dispute that if she had been at the White

House (in charge of the Oval Office) she would have been light

years ahead of some of our recent presidents. If appointed to

3 the Supreme Court, Sadie would have been as philosophical as a

Justice Holmes, as analytical as a Justice Brandeis, as determined as Justice Brennan, as compassionate as Chief Justice

Earl Warren, and as wise as a Judge William Henry Hastie and

Justice Thurgood Marshall.

But now is not the time to speak of what she could have been if the world were fair. Sadie's great achievements give us every reason to celebrate for what she did accomplish.

It is enough to say that the high court of history has a special place for her - not merely for being first so often, but more important, because she was excellent, wise, persistent, and fair after she got those opportunities. She is now part of that historic chorus, composed of the great voices of the past:

Sojourner Truth, Mary McCloud Bethune, Mahatma Gandhi, Frederick

Douglass, John F. Kennedy, Earl Warren, Richardson Dilworth,

Stephen Biko, Martin Luther King, Richard Allen, Charles Hamilton

Houston, and Raymond Pace Alexander. They along with Sadie have left us a symphony in song and an encyclopedia with messages that will forever inspire men and women of all generations throughout the world. Their voices, along with Sadie's, proclaim the lofty standards that we should seek to emulate as part of our individual rendezvous with destiny.

4 w:/speech/Alexndr (#10)

SADIE T. M. ALEXANDER:

More than Merely the "First"

Statement

Judge A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr.

Memorial Services for Sadie T.M. Alexander

Bethel A.M.E. Church - Philadelphia, PA

December 6, 1989

2 that makes his or her performance in office an appropriate landmark of excellence by which others should be evaluated?

We rejoice because no one ever has had to apologize for

Sadie Alexander's performance. For all of her life, Sadie

Alexander was the north star of excellence, thus an unerring signal visible to all of us as we attempt to navigate our smaller boats to the shores of a more just, competent and fair society.

Her standards set the course, not solely because she was first, but because after getting those opportunies, in most settings she was also the best!!

Of course, it is fascinating to ponder the dazzling heights

Sadie would have reached if we had had a society free of race and gender bias. Let us in this memorial service be not too solemn or content with recording the facts or data of Sadie's life.

Sadie was a dreamer, and thus we should fantasize a bit and speculate about what would have happened if she were 30 years younger, and living in a society of true equal opportunity, whereby she was elected into the highest office in the land. I believe that by her performance she would have been a notch above

England's Margaret Thatcher, and it would have been fascinating to see Mikhail Gorbachev, Fidel Castro, Francois Mitterrand or

Helmut Kohl negotiating with the steel spined and sharp witted Sadie at the centers of international power.

It is beyond dispute that if she had been at the White

House (in charge of the Oval Office) she would have been light years ahead of some of our recent presidents. If appointed to

3 the Supreme Court, Sadie would have been as philosophical as a

Justice Holmes, as analytical as a Justice Brandeis, as

determined as Justice Brennan, as compassionate as Chief Justice

Earl Warren, and as wise as a Judge William Henry Hastie and

Justice Thurgood Marshall.

But now is not the time to speak of what she could

have been if the world were fair. Sadie's great achievements

give us every reason to celebrate for what she did accomplish.

It is enough to say that the high court of history has a special place for her - not merely for being first so often, but more

important, because she was excellent, wise, persistent, and fair after she got those opportunities. She is now part of that historic chorus, composed of the great voices of the past:

Sojourner Truth, Mary McCloud Bethune, Mahatma Gandhi, Frederick

Douglass, John F. Kennedy, Earl Warren, Richardson Dilworth,

Stephen Biko, Martin Luther King, Richard Allen, Charles Hamilton

4 MEMORIAL SERVICE

The family wishes to thank the following persons for their assistance in planning this memorial service: The Rev. Dr. Richard T. Norris; Mrs. Gussella W. Gelzer, long-time family friend and secretary to the Alex- anders; Dr. Sandra Brown, President of the National Bar Association, Women Lawyers Division (Phila. Chapter). The family also expresses deep appreciation to her three devoted companions, and the Phila. Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority for the vigilance, love and concern which they showed during Dr. Alexander's long illness.

Memorial gifts for Dr. Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander may be made to the National Bar Association, Women Lawyers Division (Phila. Chapter), P.O. Box 58004, Phila., PA 19102 for its ANNUAL BOOK AWARD and/or to Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Phila. Alumnae Chapter, 4601 Market St., Phila., PA 19139 for their SADIE T.M. ALEXANDER COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD.

Sadie Tanner Mossel 1 Alexander, Ph.D., LL.B. 98-1989

Mother Beth el A.M.E. Church Phila delphia, Pa. Decent ber 6, 1989 4:00 PM A LIFE OF CARING AND SERVICE ORDER OF SERVICE Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander was an extraordinary woman whose name was synonymous with civil rights, pioneering firsts and professional acclaim. ORGAN PRELUDE Ms. Sylvia Olden Lee, Organist

INVOCATION Father Paul Washington V Born January 2, 1898, Mrs. Alexander was a member of one of America's Rector Emeritus, Church of the Advocate most prominent black families. Her grandfather was Bishop Benjamin Tucker Tanner of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The renowned painter, WORDS OF COMMEMORATION Hon. W. Wilson Goode Henry Ossawa Tanner, was her uncle. Her father, Aaron Mossell, was the first Mayor, City of Philadelphia African American to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School; Mr. Spencer Coxe v her uncle, Nathan Mossell, was the first black graduate from the Medical Former Executive Director 6 School of the University of Pennsylvania. American Civil Liberties Union Hon. Juanita Kidd Stout _ Mrs. Alexander's brilliant academic career began in the public schools of Former Justice, Pennsylvania Supreme Court Washington, D.C., where she excelled as a student. Later, at the University of SOLO "The Lord's Prayer" -. Malotte Reginald Pindell, Baritone Pennsylvania, she graduated with the highest honors and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1918. On June 15, 1921, she received her Ph.D., becoming the WORDS OF COMMEMORATION Peter Hearn, Esq. second black woman to do so, and the first in economics. Two years later she Chancellor, Philadelphia Bar Association married a young lawyer, Raymond Pace Alexander. With the support of her Dr. A. Romeo Horton i husband, Mrs. Alexander attended law school, was a member of the Law Sire Archon, Alpha Boule Review, and became the first black woman in America to graduate from the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity University of Pennsylvania Law School. A few months later she acquired yet Mrs. Virginia Brown Lewis another honor when she became the first black woman to pass the Pennsylvania Granddaughter bar. SCRIPTURE READING The Reverend Carl D. Ogden, Sr. t Pastor, A.M.E. Union Church Despite a rigorous schedule of civic commitments, Mrs. Alexander found time to make significant contributions to her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta. From WORDS OF COMMEMORATION Dr. Sheldon HackneytX 1919 to 1923 she served as First Grand President. In this capacity and later as a President, University of Pennsylvania panelist on various forums, she helped to extend the sorority's national appeal. Thomas Duckenfield, Esq.jd In 1946 she was appointed to President Harry Truman's Committee on Civil President, National Bar Association Rights, becoming the first black woman to sit on a Presidential Commission. Dr. Constance E. Clayton Meanwhile, she was actively involved in co-authoring Philadelphia's Home Rule Superintendent Charter and playing an important role in her husband's success on the City School District of Philadelphia Council. She maintained an exhausting schedule, working with the National SOLO "There Is a Balm in Gilead" - African-American Spiritual Foundation, the Deltas, Bar Association, the Philadelphia Bar Association and Reginald Pindell, Baritone k the American Civil Liberties Union, the Commission on Human Relations, the NAACP, the Urban League and a host of local and national organizations. Her WORDS OF COMMEMORATION Dr. Rae Alexander-Minter i partner and husband for fifty-one years, Judge Raymond Pace Alexander, died Daughter in 1974. Mrs. Mona Bailey Past National President In 1979 President Jimmy Carter appointed her as chairperson of the White Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. House Conference on Aging. With this appointment he became the third Presi- Hon. A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. dent she had served. In 1983 she became ill, retired from the practice of law at Judge, United States Court of Appeals the Atkinson & Archie law firm, and went to reside at Cathedral Village where BENEDICTION The Reverend Dr. Richard F. Norris she died on November 1, 1989. Pastor, Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church

Mrs. Alexander leaves two daughters, Mrs. Mary A. Brown and Dr. Rae ORGAN POSTLUDE Alexander-Minter; a son-in-law, Dr. Thomas K. Minter; three grandchildren, Virginia Brown Lewis, Raymond Alexander Brown, and Thomas K. Minter, Participants are requested to speak three minutes. family will greet friends in the downstairs Lecture Room following the service. Jr.; and, two great grandchildren, Cameron O'Connor Lewis and Nicole The Alexander Elizabeth Lewis.