December 4, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1093 Eventually, he led an effort to remove the FAREWELL REMARKS EXPRESSING family. She always went above and beyond for existing military government and convened GRATITUDE FOR THE HONOR OF me and I am forever grateful. elections. When the subsequent government REPRESENTING ’S I also want to especially thank all my Chiefs encountered challenges managing the econ- FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DIS- of Staff: Harriet Grigsby, Darryl Piggee and omy, he intervened again, and ruled directly TRICT Yvette Cravins. for the next eleven years. During his time as In the book of Matthew chapter 25, verses unelected leader, President Rawlings sought HON. WM. LACY CLAY 36–40, the scriptures read, ‘‘When I was to introduce reforms that would place Ghana OF MISSOURI naked you clothed me. I was sick you visited on a firm economic foundation and create me, when I was in prison you came to me. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES shared prosperity. The righteous answered, Lord, when did we In 1992, President Rawlings convened elec- Friday, December 4, 2020 see you hungry, thirsty, clothed you, or in pris- tions and presided over a gradual return to de- Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to on visited?’’ And the King answered them, mocracy and openness in Ghana. After two offer my farewell remarks as a Member of the ‘‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to the least terms as elected leader, President Rawlings U.S. House. of these my brothers, you did it to me.’’ retired in 2001 and presided over the peaceful And while I will be sad to leave this historic These scriptures have been a guidepost for transfer of power to the opposition leader John place, I will forever be grateful for the oppor- my career in public service. Over my ten Kufuor. tunity to serve Missouri’s 1st Congressional terms, I have fearlessly advocated for the per- Following his presidency, he continued to be District for two decades, and to have been manent interests of African Americans and active in world affairs, particularly as the Afri- blessed with the friendship of so many col- other unheard voices. can Union special envoy to Somalia. leagues. I have had many legislative achievements in President Rawlings’ commitment to justice I have given my best because my constitu- this body and I thank all of colleagues who as- and opportunity extended beyond Ghana and ents deserved nothing less. I learned that vital sisted me in doing as the scriptures noted the African continent to African Americans and lesson about public service from my best advi- ‘‘caring for the least of these’’. In my remain- the African diaspora In particular, President sor and my personal hero . . . my dad, former ing time, I would like to highlight a few vic- Rawlings worked actively, both in office and in Congressman . tories. retirement, to build bridges between Ghana And the truth is none of my success would For 14 years, I hosted the Career Fair at St. and African Americans. In 2019, Members of have been possible without my remarkable Louis’ HBCU, Harris-Stowe State University, the Congressional Black Caucus traveled to family. which connected thousands of job seekers Ghana to commemorate the 400th anniversary I want to thank the rock of our family, my with good paying jobs providing economic sta- of the beginning of the brutal institution of mother Carol; and my devoted and talented bility. slavery in America. On that occasion, Mem- sisters, Vickie and Michelle. Creating jobs and economic development bers of the Congressional Black Caucus met was a priority for me. We were able to build with President Rawlings and his family, and he I also want to thank my children, Carol and Will. No Member serves unto themselves. the new $120 million National Archives Admin- pledged to continue his effort to deepen bonds istration Center in North St. Louis County. between Ghana and the African American Families also sacrifice greatly. Carol and Will have made me extremely proud. They carry The greatest economic victory for North St. community. Louis was the bipartisan effort to build the We offer sincerest condolences to his wife, themselves with such dignity, poise, and char- acter. There is no greater joy I have than headquarters of the National Geospatial Intel- his children, and the Ghanaian people. The ligence Agency. That $1.7 billion project is the stands in solidarity being their Father. I thank them for being my greatest and best legacy. largest single federal investment in St. Louis with the people of Ghana as they commemo- history, of which I am extremely proud. rate President Rawlings’ legacy, and continue To my wonderful wife Pat: I could not have As Chair of the Financial Services Housing their work to strengthen democratic institutions selected a better partner to share in my post- Subcommittee, I secured the renovation of and inclusive prosperity in their country. Congressional career. Her love and optimism keep my life balanced and exhilarated. I so over 200 units of housing at the old Homer G. f look forward to our days to come. Phillips hospital in North St. Louis and an ad- COMMEMORATING MS. KATHERINA Of course, the best part of being a Member ditional 200 plus units in Wellston with the DIMENSTEIN’S DEPARTURE of Congress has been helping tens of thou- help of St. Louis County. sands of constituents solve issues with the People in my district, particularly the elderly, HON. DAVID SCHWEIKERT federal government. deserve to live with dignity and security. None of that could have been possible with- As Chair of the Oversight Census Sub- OF ARIZONA out my dedicated and compassionate staff committee, I worked to ensure Census 2010 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES over the years—Patricia Green, Sheila was successful and addressed the digital di- Friday, December 4, 2020 Mileszko, Virginia Cook, Debra Miller, Michelle vide in vulnerable communities. Mr. SCHWEIKERT. Madam Speaker, I rise Bogdanovich, Sandra Houston, Ishmael-Lateef My focus on healthcare led to The Everson today to commemorate my Chief of Staff, Ms. Ahmad, Jasmina Hadzic, Sean Weller, Craig Walls and Ron Springs Gift of Life legislation, Katherina Dimenstein as she departs from my Rasmussen, Percy Green, Adam Bordes, increasing grants to states and expanded office. Katherina has devoted the past eight Marvin Steele, Richard Pecantte, Frank ‘‘Les’’ organ and tissue registry for minorities. years of her life and career to the people of Davis, Mark Odom, Lou Aboussie, Noelle I have been a champion for environmental Arizona. Lindsey, Brian Williams, Michelle Mitchell, Brit- justice, cleaning up waste sites often lingering Iwant to thank Katherina for her dedication tany Packnett, Josh Peters, Pauline Jamry, in minority neighborhoods. and service to Arizona’s 6th District. She did Perre Smalls, Samantha Williams, Sherry My environmental record includes $5 million an outstanding job for our office, especially Faulkner, Tony Grandison, Bill Sibert, Frank to clean up the former St. Louis Army Ammu- her excellent work to promote strong trade re- Taylor, Erica Powell, Matt Alexis, Rico Doss, nition plant: $30 million to clean up the former lationships for Arizona and help modernize our and my Communications Director Steven Carter Carburetor plant; and $266 million to tax code through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Engelhardt, and the late Allison Singfield and clean up West Lake Landfill which holds waste She is committed to being both a voice and a the late Dottie Ross. from the Manhattan Project. resource for the people. I would like to extend a special thanks to Lastly, one of my signature achievements Congress is an institution devoted to serving educator Gwendolyn Reed, who also served was the African-American Civil Rights Network the people, and Katherina has exemplified this as a staffer for both me and my father, Con- Act. The National Park’s program educates every day by not only meeting with Arizonans, gressman Bill Clay, Sr. generations on the struggles of African Ameri- veterans, and advocacy groups, but by man- I also want to thank an exceptional Amer- cans who demanded full civil rights in spite of aging all my Washington, D.C. office oper- ican who has devoted 48 years of public serv- violence and hate. ations and legislative priorities on the Ways ice to the U.S. House, my remarkable Con- I am proud of my legacy and work for Mis- and Means Committee. We look to Katherina stituent Services Director, Edwilla Massey. souri’s first Congressional District. as an incredibly valued member of our team, I want to thank my devoted Executive As- May God bless you all, and may God con- and we will greatly miss her. sistant and Scheduler, Karyn Long. Karyn is tinue to bless the United States of America.

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