June 9, 2000 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð Extensions of Remarks E919 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS TRIBUTE TO STEVE OSBORNEÐ2000 Cynthia Thomas Walker has truly shown taged small business enterprises throughout SMALL BUSINESS PERSON OF herself to be more than deserving of the dis- the greater San Francisco Bay Area. This con- THE YEAR tinction of Woman of the Year. She is cur- tribution has resulted in over $19 million of rently the Administrator of 50th District Court loan capital provided to this important segment HON. SCOTT McINNIS in Pontiac. She is the first African-American of our regional economy that otherwise would OF COLORADO and the first female to hold this position. Origi- not have occurred without his leadership and nally from Chicago, Cynthia came to Pontiac oversight. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES in 1985, where she worked for UAW±GM In addition to providing solid direction and Wednesday, June 7, 2000 Legal Services and was an instructor for the guidance to this non-profit public benefit cor- Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to American Institute for Paralegal Studies before poration, Mr. Thompson has excelled in forg- take this moment to congratulate Steve becoming a Deputy City Attorney in 1993. The ing genuine strategic alliances with commu- Osborne on being selected as the 2000 Small following year, she became City Attorney and nity-based organizations and financial institu- Business Person of the Year for the Colorado continued that role until last year, when she tions in a positive effort to maintain the flow of District of the U.S. Small Business Administra- was promoted to her current position. Cynthia capital to minorities, women and the truly eco- tion. His hard work, dedication and business is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the nomic-disadvantaged of our local small busi- savvy have propelled Steve and his busi- Southeast Michigan Court Administrators As- ness population. nessÐBuilding SpecialitiesÐto new heights. sociation, and the NAACP. She is also the As Executive Director of the City of Rich- Steve and his organization have not had an proud mother of a twelve-year-old son, Clifton. mond's Redevelopment Agency, Mr. Thomp- easy road to success. After a very promising This year's Family of the Year is the family son has contributed substantially to the eco- and profitable inception, the company began of Dorothy Herron Jones of Pontiac. A product nomic revival of his own community for nearly losing money. An external audit was per- of the Pontiac School District, Mrs. Herron twenty years. formed and it was revealed to Steve that an graduated from Pontiac Central High School, Additional positions he has held with the employee was embezzling money. Amid this and went on to the Jones School of Nursing City of Richmond over the years include adversity, Steve never put his head down in in Ann Arbor, and St. Joseph Mercy School of Project Manager for the Marina Bay Develop- defeat. Rather, he put his shoulder to the plow Nursing in Detroit. She began her medical ca- ment and the City's Business Assistance Offi- and revamped his company. reer at Pontiac General Hospital as an LPN cer. The Redevelopment Agency is a depart- Today, that turn-around is complete as and later an RN. In 1971, she became a staff ment within the Community and Economic De- Building Specialities is expected to reach nurse at General Motors Truck and Coach. velopment Division which administers the nearly $5 million in gross sales this year. She rose through the ranks to her current po- City's community, economic and housing de- Much of this renewed success is attributable sition as Associate Administrator for GM Cor- velopment programs including Redevelop- to Steve's efforts and energies. Steve has porate Health Services, working with facilities ment, Community Development Block Grants, taken a proactive approach to his business in eight states, including Michigan. She is a HOME and Youth Build. philosophy and continues to draw from his ex- member of several nurses' associations, the Mr. Thompson is active with a variety of perience of hard knocks. He is a model citizen American Occupational Health Association, nonprofit organizations in the Bay Area, in- and a firm believer in never giving up. and the NAACP. Mrs. Herron has raised two volved in small business development financial I am encouraged by Steve's accomplish- wonderful sons. Dr. Michael Herron is an and management assistance including the ments and his success story. He is the em- emergency room physician at Chesatee Hos- Northern California Community Loan Fund, bodiment of the entrepreneurial spirit that pital in Dahlonega, GA and Georgia Baptist Bay Area Small Business Development Cor- makes America's economy the strongest in Hospital in Warm Springs, GA. Darryl Herron poration and West Contra Costa Business De- the world. Because of entrepreneurs of has recently completed a two-year assignment velopment Center. Steve's caliber, America can look forward to in the Asian Pacific as Regional Manager of It is with great pride and honor to recognize many decades of continued prosperity. the Audit Staff for General Motors. He is cur- the overall contributions made by David S. It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I say con- rently the Manager of Capital Appropriations at Thompson to the State of California's Small gratulations to Steve on winning this pres- GM Powertrain Global Headquarters in Pon- Business Loan Guaranty Program and to the tigious award. We are all very proud of you. tiac. Mrs. Herron is also proud of her grand- hundreds of small business persons who have benefitted from this commitment of time and f children, David and Destiny. Mr. Speaker, as a member of several civic energy. HONORING FINER WOMANHOOD and fraternal organizations, I understand how f AWARDEES important these groups can be to improve the RSS BOMBS CHRISTIAN WOMEN'S community climate. I am proud of the hard PRAYER MEETING HON. DALE E. KILDEE work the Lambda Rho Zeta Chapter of Zeta OF MICHIGAN Phi Beta Sorority has done for the City of Pon- HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES tiac, and I ask my colleagues in the 106th OF NEW YORK Congress to join me in applauding them and Wednesday, June 7, 2000 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES their award recipients. Mr. KILDEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of f Wednesday, June 7, 2000 the Lambda Rho Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, on May 31 Beta Sorority, Inc., located in Pontiac, Michi- HONORING DAVID S. THOMPSON Newsroom.org reported that a May 21 bomb gan. For many years, the sisters of Zeta Phi blast that injured 30 Christians during a prayer Beta have emphasized family leadership and HON. BARBARA LEE meeting was apparently carried out by the civic pride. Each year, at their Finer Woman- OF CALIFORNIA RSS, the pro-Fascist, militant Hindu fun- hood Scholarship Luncheon, they award IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES damentalist organization that is the parent or- scholarships to college bound students, and ganization of the BJP, the party that leads In- Wednesday, June 7, 2000 also recognize those who have made a signifi- dia's government. cant impact on the City of Pontiac. On June Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, today I honor David According to the Newsroom report, which 10, the Chapter will gather for their seven- S. Thompson, the past President of Northern was brought to me by the President of the teenth annual luncheon, where they will honor California Small Business Financial Develop- Council of Khalistan, Dr. Gurmit Singh Aulakh, Ms. Cynthia Thomas Walker as Woman of the ment Corporation. the bomb exploded during a meeting of the Year, and Mrs. Dorothy Jones Herron and her Mr. Thompson has made a major contribu- Women's Club, a Christian group. An exten- family as Family of the Year. tion to hundreds of economically disadvan- sive investigation by the All-India Christian ∑ This ``bullet'' symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. E920 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð Extensions of Remarks June 9, 2000 Conference showed that the Sangh Parivar, a blast is a handiwork of fundamentalists who from my home state of Texas. But just to per- branch of the RSS, was responsible for the in- conspired and executed a meticulous preci- suade those of you who continue to dismiss cident despite police claims that it came about sion blast without leaving any evidence to the ongoing atrocities of hate crimes that the site,'' the AICC report said. The bomb as a result of strife within the Christian com- was not an ``ordinary (crude) one but it ap- occur, I will. James Byrd, Jr. was beaten munity. The Catholic Bishops' Conference has pears to be either a time bomb or a remote shamelessly by two white supremacists and written to the Indian government demanding bomb,'' according to the report. then chained to a pickup truck. These two action. men then dragged him to his death. You have f This bombing is the latest in a string of vio- all heard this before and still action by Con- lent attacks on Christians and other religious TRIBUTE TO JERRY GROSWOLDÐ gress remains to be seen. minorities. According to the article, ``the com- DENVER & COLORADO TRAVEL My colleagues, I come to you today urging munity is being threatened with anonymous INDUSTRY that we take action now. Has the prosperity of letters and telephone calls ordering citizens to America become so great for some that we stop Christian prayers.'' Anti-Christian slogans HON.