[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 22474-22475] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]A POSTHUMOUS TRIBUTE TO ERNESTINE THOMAS MORRISON ______ HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS of new york in the house of representatives Tuesday, December 5, 2006 Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Mrs. Ernestine Thomas Morrison. Mrs. Morrison was a distinguished member of the Brooklyn, New York community. It behooves us to pay tribute posthumously to this outstanding leader and I hope my colleagues will join me in recognizing her impressive accomplishments. Ernestine Thomas Morrison was born on June 8, 1935 in Birmingham, Alabama to Virginia Kirkland Allen Thomas and Ernest Thomas. During her early childhood years, she lived in Birmingham and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after the death of her father, who passed away when she was just 2 years-old. At age 12, her mother passed on and Ernestine went to live in Brooklyn, NY with her sister and brother-in-law, Cleopatra Allen Riley and Clifford Riley. Although her sister was just 22 years-old, Ernestine recognized her not only as her sister, but as a mother. Ernestine attended P.S. 41 and graduated from the old Girls High School in Brooklyn. She married the late Roscoe Morrison, a Korean War veteran and later they had three children, Ruth, Lavinia and Charles. Mrs. Morrison more than loved her children; she doted over them, as they were her life. While they were in elementary school, she worked part-time in the schools that they attended to be certain that her children had the best teachers and received the best services that the schools had to offer. All who knew her, knew that her love for children went beyond her own children, as she adopted her friends' children, her children's friends, her clients, her clients' kids etc., and she had the pictures to prove it. She was elected president of the Parent Teachers Association at P.S. 243 and JHS 210; and in those roles she served as a member of the local school board for Districts 16 and 17. Additionally, she managed a summer recreation program for the youth of Albany Houses, which included several athletic teams that competed against other teams from the housing developments around New York City. Mrs. Morrison coached the Albany Houses Girls' Volleyball Team and as a first-time coach, her beloved team brought home the city championship trophy. Mrs. Morrison was a strong voice for African-American studies in schools and open enrollment. She compelled the principal of her children's elementary school to not only order more black history books, but to allow the children to borrow those books that were already in the library. She worked with Reverend Milton A. Galamison on open enrollment for New York City public schools, a tumultuous issue of that time. Mrs. Morrison's activism in the NYC school system presented her with the opportunity to meet on several occasions with the late Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller. Open enrollment in New Yark City went from a concept to a reality and children all over the city were now able to attend schools outside of their neighborhoods. It was no surprise that Mrs. Morrison's activism led her to politics. She was a very active member of Unity Democratic Club. She worked on the campaigns of the then Assemblywoman Shirley Chisholm, who later became the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Congress. Other elected officials she worked with included the late Assemblyman Thomas R. Fortune; District Leader Narcissus Frett; Judges Thomas R. Jones, James Shaw and James Hutchinson; Assemblyman Edward Griffith and Congressman Edolphus ``Ed'' Towns. She was also a member of Community Planning Board 5, which covers East New York, Spring Creek and Cypress Hills. As her children grew older, she started a career in social work with the New York City Human Resources Administration. After her retirement in 1992, she went back to live in her birth home of Birmingham, Alabama, the place that she loved so dearly and longed to go back to. After being away for 50 years, Mrs. Morrison was in for a rude awakening. She was a New Yorker, no longer a Southerner and she didn't quite fit into the Southern lifestyle. Consequently, in 1999, she returned home to Brooklyn. On Friday, August 22, 2003, God called home one of his best soldiers. Mr. Speaker, I believe that it is incumbent on this body to recognize the accomplishments of Mrs. Ernestine Thomas Morrison as she spent many years offering her love, talents and services for the betterment of our local and national communities. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Ernestine Thomas Morrison's selfless service continuously demonstrated a level of altruistic dedication that [[Page 22475]] makes her most worthy of our recognition today. ____________________