April 30, 2003 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE 10065 authorized appropriations in the amount of Minnesota has a long and proud HONORING AVIATION’S PIONEER $1,070,000 for additional design. hockey tradition as the hockey capital WOMEN OF COLOR Provided, That the construction of this of the world, and all Minnesotans are The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a project does not exceed construction bench- extremely proud of our national cham- marks as established by the General Services previous order of the House, the gen- Administration. pion, Golden Gophers. tleman from Illinois (Mr. DAVIS) is rec- Unlike most repeat champions, Mr. ognized for 5 minutes. COMMITTEE RESOLUTION—LEASE—DEPART- Speaker, this one came as somewhat of Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, MENT OF TREASURY, INTERNAL REVENUE a surprise. The Gophers started the on Saturday, May 3, 2003, the Chicago SERVICE, KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI season slowly, but that is to be ex- ‘‘DODO’’ Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Resolved by the Committee on Transportation pected of a team that lost so many Incorporated, in concert with Black Pi- and Infrastructure of the U.S. House of Rep- players after beating Maine in over- lots of America will honor three of resentatives, That pursuant to title 40 U.S.C. time in last year’s title game. Aviation’s Pioneer African American § 3307, appropriations are authorized to lease But thanks to Coach Lucia’s inspir- Women of Color, Bessie Coleman, Willa up to approximately 1,140,000 rentable square ing leadership, great motivational Beatrice Brown and Janet Harmon, at feet of space for the Department of Treasury, skills and good chemistry, this year’s a ceremony to be held on Saturday, Internal Revenue Service, Service Center team started gathering steam as play- May 3, at the Lincoln Cemetery, 123rd currently located at 2306 Bannister Road, ers returned to the lineup from inju- 1500 East Bannister Road, and five leased lo- and Kedzie Avenue in Chicago. cations in the Kansas City metropolitan ries. Each player, coach, trainer and I shall be pleased to join Mr. Rufus area, at a proposed total annual cost of manager played a pivotal role during Hunt, aviation historian, and this $34,200,000 for a lease term of fifteen years, a the season, picking each other up at group of aviation enthusiasts, flyers, prospectus for which is attached to and in- critical times. former flyers, mechanics and others cluded in this resolution. Our University of Minnesota’s men’s who love to fly and have dedicated The General Services Administration is hockey team also won the WCHA, the themselves to keeping the legacy of further authorized to negotiate renewal op- Western Collegiate Hockey Associa- these three women alive. tions, provided, that no option shall be exer- tion, tournament on the road to its Bessie Coleman was the first African cised by the General Services Administra- second consecutive national title. tion without obtaining further authorization American female pilot. She grew up in Mr. Speaker, all Minnesotans and Go- poverty and discrimination, came to from the Committee. pher hockey fans everywhere are very Approval of this prospectus constitutes au- Chicago from Texas, decided that she thority to execute an interim lease for all proud of this great team. The 2002–2003 wanted to fly, and, with encourage- tenants, if necessary, prior to execution of Gopher men’s hockey team, our back- ment from Robert Abbott, who was the the new lease. to-back national champions, are now owner of the Chicago Daily Defender Provided, That the General Services Ad- part of college hockey history. We con- newspaper, she was able to put to- ministration shall not delegate to any other gratulate our national champions, for gether resources, go to Paris, go to agency the authority granted by this resolu- they are true champions, both on and France and learn to fly, which she did. tion. off the ice. She returned to America as a her- There was no objection. Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker will oine, flew many exhibitions, and ulti- f the gentleman yield? mately though was unfortunately Mr. RAMSTAD. I am glad to yield to b 1630 killed in an accident when a wrench the gentleman from hockey-rich Du- got caught in the gears of her plane SPECIAL ORDERS luth, Minnesota. and she did not have her seat belt on Mr. OBERSTAR. Mr. Speaker, I and she was thrown out of the plane, The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. thank the gentleman for taking this BURNS). Under the Speaker’s an- and, unfortunately, died. special order, and I join him in paying There is a Bessie Coleman Drive at nounced policy of January 7, 2003, and tribute to the University of Minnesota under a previous order of the House, O’Hare Airport in Chicago that has Gopher men’s hockey team back-to- been dedicated in her memory, and, of the following Members will be recog- back championships. The gentleman nized for 5 minutes each. course, she has been placed on a stamp made a splendid case. We are proud of by the United States Post Office. f the men’s hockey team. Janet Harmon Bragg was born in But I also want to point out that the UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA Griffin, Georgia, grew up with her sib- University of Minnesota-Duluth wom- MEN’S HOCKEY TEAM REPEATS lings, decided that she wanted to fly en’s hockey team for the third consecu- AS NATIONAL CHAMPIONS and ultimately was the first African tive year has won the NCAA hockey American woman to get a commercial The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a championship, trumping the men. It is pilot’s license. previous order of the House, the gen- a great tribute to our State that in the Willa Brown, an African American tleman from Minnesota (Mr. RAMSTAD) final frozen four in both the women’s woman, ended up purchasing her own is recognized for 5 minutes. and men’s hockey, our University of airplane, as well as organizing groups Mr. RAMSTAD. Mr. Speaker, the Minnesota teams have prevailed. That and clubs and organizations promoting University of Minnesota men’s hockey is a tribute to the great tradition of flying. team did it again. During our spring re- hockey in the northern part of our Mr. Speaker, all three of these cess, Minnesota defeated New Hamp- State, as well as in the gentleman’s women made tremendous contributions shire 5 to 1 to win its second consecu- part of the State, an area that he now to the field of aviation, and every year tive NCAA championship, the first represents in Anoka County, that has a people from the Tuskegee Airmen and time a team has repeated as NCAA splendid four or more hockey rinks other pilots groups fly over Bessie hockey champion in 31 years. training the future champions. Coleman’s grave. They have done this Mr. Speaker, the key to these back- Mr. RAMSTAD. Mr. Speaker, re- since 1931, and it is a way of paying to-back titles has been hard work by claiming my time, I thank the gen- tribute to women of color and the con- talented athletes, superior coaching by tleman for his comments, for his great tributions that they have made to Coach Don Lucia and his great staff, support of University of Minnesota aviation. I commend them for this ef- and the greatest fans in hockey any- athletics, both in Minneapolis and Du- fort, for keeping these legacies alive. where. luth, and I was just as proud to support Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, May 3, 2003, the In the title game, Minnesota and New the Gopher women’s team, the Univer- Chicago ‘‘DODO’’ Chapter of Tuskegee Air- Hampshire were tied 1 to 1 until the sity of Minnesota-Duluth, as I am here man Incorporated, in concert with Black Pilots final period, but a three-goal outburst today. Both are great teams, and that of America will honor three of Aviation’s Pio- over 5 minutes and 20 seconds of the is why Minnesota, as the gentleman neer Women of Color, Bessie Coleman, Willa third period iced the team’s second knows, is the hockey capital of the Beatrice Brown and Janet Harmon at a cere- consecutive national championship. world. mony to be held on Saturday May 3, at the VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:09 Jul 16, 2019 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00085 Fmt 0687 Sfmt 9920 C:\2003 BOUND RECORD\H30AP3.REC H30AP3 ejoyner on DSK30MW082PROD with BOUND RECORD 10066 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—HOUSE April 30, 2003 Lincoln Cemetry, 123rd and Kedzie Avenue in 21, 1906 in Glasgow, Kentucky U.S.A. She re- chase of the plane, Mrs. Bragg and a few Chicago, Illinois. I shall be pleased to join Mr. ceived her bachelor’s degree in 1927 at Indi- other Black pioneer aviators started their own Rufus Hunt, Aviation Historian and this group ana State Teacher’s College. For a while, she airport in Robbins, Illinois, about 20 miles of aviation enthusiasts, flyers, former flyers, taught school in Gary, Indiana and then, in Southwest of Chicago. This group also formed mechanics and others who love to fly and 1932, after having divorced her husband, she the Challenger Aero Club. This group went on have dedicated themselves to keeping the leg- moved to Chicago, Illinois. Influenced by Bes- to establish the Coffy School of Aviation in acy of these three great women alive. sie Coleman, Willa started taking flying les- 1939. This school and five other Black col- Bessie Coleman (1892–1926). Bessie Cole- sons in 1934. Soon she became a member of leges participated in the civilian pilot training man, the first African American female pilot, the flying club, the Challenger Air Pilot’s Asso- program and later fed students into the Army grew up in poverty and discrimination.