CONGRESSIONAL RECORD— Extensions of Remarks E999 HON
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October 30, 2020 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E999 Sesquicentennial, or 150th anniversary. IN RECOGNITION OF THE LIFE Sid’s contributions to the sports culture of Founded October 24, 1870, Jesup is a special AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF SID Minnesota are unmatched and indelible. He place that started as a humble railroad town. HARTMAN, MINNESOTA SPORTS made the Twin Cities big league towns, and Although there isn’t a definitive historical docu- COLUMNIST AND BROADCASTER, touched countless lives along the way. It was ment, it’s long been debated what Jesup was FOUNDER OF THE MINNEAPOLIS an honor and privilege to know him and to de- named after. In honor of Jesup’s 150th anni- LAKERS, DEALMAKER, FAN, FA- vour his column every morning for decades. versary, a trial was recently held by Wayne THER, GRANDFATHER, AND Perhaps from heaven he can help the Vikings County High School to determine who founded FRIEND win the elusive Super Bowl he was never able Jesup. to celebrate over the course of 60 seasons. It was Jesup’s first mayor, Willis Clary, who HON. DEAN PHILLIPS Minnesota and I will miss Sid Hartman, and was influential in the growth of the town in its OF MINNESOTA our entire delegation joins me in sharing our early years since he urged that the Macon & IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES heartfelt condolences with Sid’s family, loved Brunswick railroad crossed the Savannah & Friday, October 30, 2020 ones, fellow sports journalists, and friends. Gulf line at Jesup in 1871. Movie stars and f Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, it is with presidential candidates frequently visited profound sadness and great affection that I CONGRESSIONAL RECOGNITION OF Jesup to promote their movies and campaign rise today to celebrate the extraordinary life of MONICA KATRICE ROBERTS from the back of the trains. Sid Hartman, a Minnesota sports pioneer and The long-seated history of Jesup helped giant in journalism who passed away last HON. AL GREEN make it the thriving city it is today. week at the age of 100. OF TEXAS I am thankful for the work of Jesup’s current A child of Jewish immigrant parents who mayor, David Earl Keith, who works whole- grew up in North Minneapolis in the 1920s, IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES heartedly for the people of Jesup every day. Sid sold newspapers on downtown street cor- Friday, October 30, 2020 ners—unwittingly beginning what would be- Mr. GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, I f come a 75-year career in the news business. rise today to ask for posthumous Congres- His first column in the Star Tribune was pub- HONORING ALAN TURING AS A sional Recognition for Monica Katrice Roberts, lished on September 11, 1945—just days after a self-proclaimed proud, unapologetic Black DISTINGUISHED MATHEMATI- the end of WWII—and by the time he pub- CIAN AND HERO transgender woman who spoke truth to power lished his last column for the Minneapolis Star and told the often-neglected stories of the Tribune on October 18, 2020, his total number world around her. Monica Katrice Roberts was HON. DARREN SOTO of bylines reached 21,235. born on May 4, 1962, in Houston, Texas, to I was first introduced to Sid by my great- OF FLORIDA Mable and Rick Roberts; she is survived by grandfather at a Vikings game at the old Met her mother, one brother, two sisters, and a IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Stadium in the mid 1970s. I was a star-struck host of brothers, sisters, and gender noncon- kid, meeting sports royalty that rivaled my Friday, October 30, 2020 forming loved ones in the movement she cou- idols, Fran Tarkenton, Chuck Foreman, and Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, Alan Turing Alan Page. And from the time I could read, rageously committed herself to. was a brilliant English mathematician, founder Sid’s column was a staple of my mornings for Monica Katrice Roberts began her career as of modern computer science and a World War my entire life. a writer and unwavering transgender activist, II hero. Sid Hartman had the audacity to dream big. launching the TransGriot in 2006 and commit- His contributions during the war, especially As an entrepreneurial young journalist, he ting herself to her life’s calling as a storyteller his work alongside others in cryptography, helped bring the Detroit Gems to Minneapolis for transgender persons who often had no were hailed as ‘‘priceless’’ by our own Presi- in 1947, where they became the Minneapolis voice in media. Monica Katrice Roberts was dent Eisenhower. By breaking German mili- Lakers and established a National Basketball especially committed to accurately capturing tary-codes, Turing helped to quickly win the Association championship dynasty—winning the stories of Black transgender women who Battle of the Atlantic, without which the Allies five titles in six years with such greats as are disproportionately brutalized and violently may not have been able to launch D-Day in George Mikan, Elgin Baylor, and future Vi- killed and are overlooked or often 1944. His efforts helped to shorten the war, kings head coach, Bud Grant. misgendered by mainstream media. Monica possibly by years, saving incalculable human A superfan of all things Minnesota, Sid was Katrice Roberts received many awards for her life. our sports documentarian and historian, and noteworthy journalism—as Founding Man- aging Editor of TransGriot and her work with Even today, our lives are impacted by his saw teams, arenas and stadiums come and the Bilerico Project, Ebony, Huffington Post, work. Turing is credited with creating the mod- go over 75 years. He covered the Millers, the and The Advocate—as well as her extraor- ern computer concept and helping to found Twins, the North Stars, the Wild, the Vikings, dinary activism, including the Virginia Prince computer science by theorizing a program- the Lakers, the Timberwolves, and his beloved Transgender Pioneer Award, the Robert Coles mable machine capable of computing anything Minnesota Gophers. He taught us to love Call of Service Award, the Barbara Jordan computable. sports and sports personalities and reported with fairness and fortitude. Between the Breaking Barriers Award, and the 2020 Susan Yet Turing was more than just a mathemati- games, news conferences, and award cere- J. Hyde Award for Longevity in the Movement. cian, an inventor or a hero. Turing was a gay monies for Minnesota’s sports teams, Sid was Monica Katrice Roberts will be greatly man. Because he was gay, he faced persecu- always easy to spot with his old black tape re- missed for her fierce leadership, unapologetic tion for merely being who he was. In 1952, corder and address book overflowing with demeanor, storytelling, activism, and unwaver- just seven years after he had helped defeat numbers for his thousands of ‘‘close, personal ing commitment to the transgender commu- the Nazis, he was prosecuted for being in a friends.’’ nity. It is my honor to commemorate her life gay relationship and forced to undergo chem- Defying his age and ever adapting to new and legacy before this legislative body. ical castration to avoid prison. sports, new teams, and new technologies, he f Two years later, in 1954, he died, possibly kept up his writing pace even after his 100th by suicide. He was only 41. birthday. In a column celebrating his milestone OVERDUE RECOGNITION OF VALOR Turing’s life is a reminder of how brilliant birthday, he said, ‘‘I have followed the advice FOR VETERAN RENE TALBOTT anyone could be, no matter what the world that if you love what you do, you never work perceived them or of whom they loved. His life a day in your life. Even at 100 I can say I still HON. KAREN BASS also serves as a reminder of the harm and love what I do.’’ What a lesson for all of us. OF CALIFORNIA costs that accompany discrimination and prej- Sid was a loving father and grandfather. His IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES udice. We will never know what else Alan son, Chad Hartman, followed him into the Turing might have discovered had he been ac- world of sports, and they served alongside Friday, October 30, 2020 cepted, and what he might have accomplished each other at WCCO–AM radio for years. Ms. BASS. Madam Speaker, I would like to had his life not been cut so short. We do know Friends, family and community meant the call attention to bravery that has gone unrec- that the world owes him a great deal of grati- world to him, and his integrity and fairness ognized until now. Sergeant Rene Talbott tude, and for that, we honor him for LGBTQ opened doors and generated scoops that few served honorably in the United States Air History Month. could rival. Force from November 2, 1967 to November 1, VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:35 Oct 31, 2020 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A30OC8.025 E30OCPT1 rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with REMARKS.