RECOGNIZING THE JROTC MEMORIAL DAY ASSEMBLY AND WILLIAM McKINLEY PORTRAIT DEDICATION; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 89
(Extensions of Remarks - May 28, 2019)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E678-E679]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE JROTC MEMORIAL DAY ASSEMBLY AND WILLIAM McKINLEY
PORTRAIT DEDICATION
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HON. BRIAN HIGGINS
of new york
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Madam Speaker, I proudly rise to acknowledge
the JROTC Memorial Day Recognition Assembly and the portrait dedication
of former President William McKinley, who was assassinated only blocks
away from McKinley High School here in Buffalo in 1901. The portrait
was created by McKinley High School teacher assistant and Army Veteran,
Reverend William C. Cobb, Jr., who generously donated his drawing to
the school for this Memorial Day assembly honoring our fallen service
members.
Rev. Cobb was born in Orlando, Florida and joined the United States
Army in 1962. During his service, he was recognized as ``Soldier of the
Year'' in 1963. He received an honorable discharge and began pursuing a
career in entertainment in Harlem, New York.
In 1977, he relocated to Buffalo, New York to answer his call to the
Christian Ministry. To prepare for his call to Christian Discipleship,
he joined the Christian family of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal
Church.
Rev. Cobb is an exhibiting member of the Buffalo Society of Artists,
as well as a member of the Buffalo Arts Council and the Buffalo & Erie
County Historical Society. He's depicted countless famous people,
nationally and locally, throughout his career including: Oprah Winfrey,
Former Assemblyman the Honorable Arthur O. Eve, Sr., Former Buffalo
Mayor James Griffin, Al Sharpton, and Former City Councilman David
Collins.
The New York City Ministerial Alliance of the African Methodist
Episcopal Church commissioned Rev. Cobb to Paint the founder and First
Bishop of their church, Bishop Richard Allen. Bishop Allen's portrait
is among the archives and permanent collection of The Schomburg Center
for Research in Black Culture of the New York Public Library in Harlem.
Rev. Cobb is a gifted man endowed with many talents. As a fine
artist, he's drawn for more than sixty years and painted for
approximately fifty years using various mediums and striving for
perfection in realism. As a substitute teacher in the Buffalo Public
School System, he shares his talents and guidance with the youth of our
community.
Madam Speaker, it is with great pride that I acknowledge the JROTC
Memorial Day Assembly, former president William McKinley and Reverend
William C. Cobb, Jr. Rev. Cobb's devotion to the arts and our community
is an inspiration to us all. I also want to commemorate the service
members of the United States military who have made the ultimate
sacrifice in defense of our nation.
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