HONORING THE LIFE AND UNSELFISH WORK OF A ``HAPPY WARRIOR'' ROY WEATHERFORD; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 128
(Extensions of Remarks - July 21, 2020)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E657]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE LIFE AND UNSELFISH WORK OF A ``HAPPY WARRIOR'' ROY
WEATHERFORD
______
HON. KATHY CASTOR
of florida
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today in admiration to
honor the life and unselfish work of a ``Happy Warrior'' Roy
Weatherford. Roy's dedication to justice, equality, peace and worker
rights is worthy of recognition.
Roy's significant contributions to society are rooted in his humble
background. Raised in rural Arkansas with no electricity, education was
always a top value for his family. While studying at Arkansas Technical
University, he not only met his partner for life, Doris, but he found
his causes for life--standing up for working people and against
injustice. Roy saw firsthand the injustices of the Jim Crow era and was
inspired by his professors to forgo his studies in math and physics in
favor of philosophy. And, when the administration fired those
professors, in a scene that would be repeated often in Roy's career,
Roy and his friends rallied and circulated petitions to show support
for their beloved professors. Roy was not as successful as he would be
later in life in this first foray challenging the powers that be, but
he never quit fighting from those days forward. Roy graduated at the
top of his class in 1964 and he took a fellowship at Harvard
University. A year later, he joined the army as a cryptanalyst just as
the war in Vietnam was escalating. While still in the Army, on
assignment near the Pentagon, he and Doris were married.
Roy returned to Harvard. Always a brilliant student, his master's
thesis won the Bechtel Prize in philosophy and he graduated with his
doctorate in 1972. Roy decided to move to Tampa and join the faculty of
the emerging University of South Florida (USF). Though he of course had
other options, Roy felt that he could make a bigger impact on people's
lives at a small upstart school like USF than at a more established
school in the Northeast. Roy observed that in Massachusetts and even
Arkansas, community leaders typically come from families that have long
been dominant. Roy said, ``in Florida, anybody who's willing to work
can make a difference.'' New England's loss was certainly Florida and
Tampa's gain, and through his hard work and the differences that he
made, he proved his adage.
Just two years after landing in Tampa, Roy was named the chair for
the USF chapter of United Faculty Florida (UFF). A perfect fit for his
energy, ability and conscience. He fought tirelessly to get more local
control for unions and more resources for faculty and students. It has
been said that he put a face on the faculty and made their needs real.
After being elected union president in 2001, Roy worked until the union
was saved. Typically, he went against the grain of the political
landscape of the day, which was seeking to decertify unions. His
efforts pressed those at the top to continue to recognize the faculty's
right to come together. And, when bargaining began locally for the
first time, Roy's astuteness, passion and commitment resulted in not
only a contract but one including raises for faculty. He lobbied the
state government to pass sweeping transformational laws, including
Florida's exceptional Government-in-the-Sunshine law and often worked
on local and state committees focused on education and workers' rights.
Roy set the precedent for how USF and other university administrators
work with educators, professors and organized labor. By the time of his
retirement, union membership had doubled. Indeed, it has been said that
many of UFF's, USF's and organized labor's successes in Florida exist
because of Roy's advocacy.
As a scholar, he wrote enthusiastically and intelligibility on world
peace. As a person, Roy was a loving and tireless advocate for the
same. Roy and Doris protested the Vietnam War and were active in many
campaigns and causes--spending countless hours marching in support of
civil and women's rights. In Doris' words, he was ``concerned and
passionate and principled.''
Madam Speaker, on behalf of my neighbors in Tampa Bay, Florida and
citizens across the United States, I am proud to honor Roy Weatherford
for his lifelong dedication to justice, working people and giving a
voice to those who often were not allowed to have one. Roy showed us
what service above self, passion, empathy, and action look like.
____________________