August 7, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 141 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E736]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING BETTY FAIRFAX

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GREG STANTON

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 7, 2020

  Mr. STANTON. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of 
Betty Harriet Fairfax, who passed away on November 7, 2010. An educator 
philanthropist, and community leader, Betty devoted her life to 
ensuring that all students, regardless of background, have equal 
opportunity and access to the American Dream. Teaching in public 
schools for nearly 70 years, Betty's life was marked by service and 
generosity and today Arizona is a more just and equal place because of 
her work.
  From an early age, Betty was ingrained with the belief that all 
children deserve a quality education. Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio 
with her parents, Dan and Inez Wood Fairfax, Betty was an accomplished 
student and received degrees from Kent State University and Western 
Reserve. After graduating with her master's degree, Betty began a 
public school career that would reflect the arc of the moral universe. 
Initially recruited by Phoenix Union High School District to teach at 
Carver High School, the legally segregated school for Black children, 
Betty ended her career over a half-century later as a beloved Dean of 
Students and with a high school named after her. Her lifelong devotion 
to public education was honored many times and upheld as an example of 
a selfless leader who dedicated her career--without fanfare or in 
pursuit of recognition--to the students she taught and counseled.
  Betty's commitment to education extended beyond excellence in 
teaching and into creating endowments for those who suffered most from 
educational inequities. Together with her sister Jean, Betty formed 
permanent financial legacies that support the spectrum of public 
education, from scholarships for Black students committed to being 
public school teachers to funding professional development 
opportunities for educators. Today, students and teachers across the 
nation benefit from Betty's generosity and philanthropy, and her 
visionary leadership has created intergenerational prosperity and 
opportunity for families in Arizona.
  Arizonans owe a debt of gratitude to Betty. Her investment in public 
education will be felt for generations to come and will ensure that 
more students be included in the American Dream. In this spirit of 
gratitude and remembrance, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of 
Betty Harriet Fairfax.

                          ____________________