July 21, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 128 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Page H3596]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                     HONORING THE LIFE OF JIM SMITH

  (Mr. ROSE of New York asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. ROSE of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life 
of Mr. Jim Smith, a dedicated community advocate, a mentor, and the 
Father of Gay Pride on Staten Island.
  Jim was the consummate Staten Islander. As a kid, he was the Staten 
Island Advance paperboy and a standout at Curtis High School. He went 
on to serve his country in the Coast Guard and honored his fellow 
veterans by bringing home a Vietnam memorial to West Brighton.
  But he is best known as one of the founders of Staten Island's Pride 
Center, where he spent years opening hearts and minds to the idea that 
love is love. So, it is only fitting that Jim left us on the 51st 
anniversary of Stonewall, leaving behind countless Staten Islanders 
whose lives are better for having known him.
  Today, we honor his incredible life, and I hope next year we can 
honor him one last time when he looks down and sees the Pride Center 
finally marching down Forest Avenue in our St. Patrick's Day parade.

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