July 30, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 129 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1018]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF ELIJAH ``PUMPSIE'' GREEN

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                          HON. MARK DeSAULNIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 30, 2019

  Mr. DeSAULNIER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life and 
legacy of a groundbreaking professional baseball player, Richmond 
native, and longtime El Cerrito resident, Elijah ``Pumpsie'' Green.
  Born in 1933 in Oklahoma, Pumpsie's parents moved to Richmond, 
California, where they raised their five children. Pumpsie attended El 
Cerrito High School where he was an accomplished three-sport athlete 
who would later earn distinction as an inductee into the school's 
inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame class. He ultimately chose to pursue 
baseball, starring at Contra Costa College before joining the Oakland 
Oaks of the Pacific Coast League.
  In 1959, 12 years after Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball's 
color barrier, Pumpsie became one of the game's true trailblazers when 
he became the first African American player ever to play for the Boston 
Red Sox. Despite facing continued discrimination and segregation, he 
went on to play five seasons for the Red Sox before being traded to the 
New York Mets and retiring in 1963.
  After retiring as a professional baseball player, Pumpsie moved with 
his family to El Cerrito, where he devoted the rest of his life to 
education. He served as a student supervisor and baseball coach at 
Berkeley High School, and during his 20-year tenure became a mentor to 
countless students.
  Pumpsie will forever be remembered for his role in helping to end 
segregation in professional sports and paving the way for other 
athletes of color. Please join me in honoring Elijah ``Pumpsie'' Green 
for his lasting impact on professional baseball and his dedication to 
youth. He is truly an inspiration for his Bay Area home.

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