Edolphus Towns

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Alexander J. Beckles, a great Bahamian-American and friend, who was on my staff for sixteen years and was my Legislative Director for eight years. Known to us as Alex, I have also heard my dear friend Chairman John Dingell call him ``Little Shaft.''

I first met Alex back in 1985 when he would come by my office on the 7th floor of the Longworth Building to visit the late Ms. Brenda E. Pillors, his friend and my former Chief of Staff of twenty-five years. Brenda was my first hire as a member of this institution back in January 1983.

One day back in 1986, Alex approached me saying, ``Can I speak with you, Congressman Towns. I need your advice,'' and I told him to come on into my office. Alex explained that he was now working for my friend Congressman Gus Savage, but Congressman Clyde Holloway, R-Forest Hill, Louisiana, had offered him a job for his upcoming re-election campaign. After all, Alex had been the field coordinator for the Faye E. Williams, D-Alexandria, LA 8th Congressional District race two years earlier. During that period, Alex and Congressman Clyde Holloway had become friends, and the Congressman wanted Alex to work for him because of his relationship with the Black community in the 8th Congressional District of Louisiana. My response to Alex was, ``If Clyde Holloway is willing to give you a better paying job, take it and don't look back.'' I'm happy to say, Alex took my advice and the rest is history.

Alex later worked on Congressman Holloway's Congressional staff from 1987 to 1992 as a Legislative Assistant and on a number of projects, such as a feasibility study for the Red River during and after large scale flooding in Central and Northwest Louisiana. Alex was most proud of his leadership in the Gulf States Counter-Narcotic Initiative, a unique multi-state counter-narcotics operation in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, funded by the Department of Defense.

Alex's first job on Capitol Hill was with Congressman Tom Delay, R- Houston, Texas, where Alex had attended Texas Southern University and resided for some 14 years before coming to Washington, DC. Alex also worked for the following members of Congress: Congressman George Brown, D-California, Congressman Mervyn M. Dymally, D-California, and Congressman Gus Savage, D-Illinois, where he was able to work on a bill which set the national standard for minority set-asides within the Federal Government, particularly in the Department of Defense.

Alex later came to work for me in 1993, after Congressman Holloway lost to Congressman Richard Baker in the November election

of 1992. He was an indispensable resource to the constituents of the 10th Congressional District of Brooklyn, New York from 1993 to 2008, as Legislative Assistant and later as my Legislative Director. Nobody had more zeal for the job, and more loyalty to the office and the constituents of the District.

An example of his service to the people of Brooklyn was demonstrated in 1994 when we received a phone call into the District office, just before President Bill Clinton was forced to send American troops to Haiti. The matter concerned a 7 year old Haitian-American girl that was living with her grandmother in Port-au-Prince, and the last commercial Air France flight had departed Haiti a few days earlier. The mother, who lived in Brooklyn, was frightened and deeply concerned for her daughter's safety. Her child, it seemed, was stranded in what was soon to be a war zone with no way out.

Alex spoke with the mother of the child and told her to give him a few days and she will have her baby home safe with her in Brooklyn. On that Thursday, my Chief of Staff, Brenda Pillors, informed me that I would need to be at Kennedy International Airport the next day to meet the mother of a 7 year old Haitian girl, who lives here in Brooklyn and had not seen her daughter in over a year. She further informed me that Alex had arranged to fly the child out of Haiti earlier that day on Mission Flights out of Fort Lauderdale. I do not know, nor did I ask, how Alex was able to get this child out of Haiti just before the war started. But he did it. This is an example of why the staff always called Alex ``Mr. Fix-it'' and joked that no one could ever figure it out but he was able to get it done.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to say thank you to Alexander J. Beckles for all his many years of service on my Congressional staff, to this institution, and to the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

First of all, I would like to thank the Members who worked very hard to make this a reality, and I want to take the opportunity to applaud the leadership and its commitment to the Members of Congress who have worked so hard on this legislation--Senator Carper and Senator Collins and, of course, Congressman Issa and Congressman Cummings from Maryland. They have all worked very closely with us, along with my good friend Congressman Platts, to make this day a reality.

Through its stewardship, the Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management has conducted a series of hearings on the problems of improper payments, and this legislation is the result of our findings on those hearings.

I also want to thank the staff who worked very hard on H.R. 4053. Of course, it is a proud accomplishment when you listen to the stories of people who are in the military and when you hear how they go months and months without their families getting paid, that they are transferred from one base to another and, as a result, the families do not get paid because they're saying they cannot locate where they are. Of course, many times when soldiers are transferred from one base to another, you'll find that they are not able to get paid. I think that that's something that we should abort because here they are defending this country in a magnificent way, and we cannot find a way to get them paid. This legislation points out how important it is to be able to get them paid.

On that note, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Altmire), who is very interested in this and who has expressed over and over again how important it is to make certain that our military people are paid and are paid on time.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Will the gentleman yield?

Let me just say, too, that you're right, this is probably my final bill, and it has been great serving here in this Congress for 30 years. You've taught me a lot, too, and let me just tell you the latest thing that you taught me.

We were having a hearing with all of these professional football players in terms of how they performed on the field and regarding enhancement drugs and all of that. When they turned to you--because we were saying that you were the only football player on the committee-- you said that you were not a football player but that you were a kicker. I thought that that was a very interesting comment because I'd just assumed all of these years that you were a football player since you set all those records.

I want to thank you so much for your kind words. It has been a delight to work with you as well.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Maltida Sykes, a tenacious leader and advocate in the community and an inspiration to all of New York.

Matilda, known affectionately as ``Mattie'', was born in Bennetsville, South Carolina. At a young age, she attended Sunday Service at Shiloh Baptist Church with her grandmother. Like her grandmother, she became a faithful church parishioner. As the second oldest of three siblings, she developed a loving concern for others.

Her family moved to Brooklyn, NY, where she joined First Baptist Church of Crown Heights and started singing in the youth choir. She accepted Christ at an early age and became involved in youth ministry.

Living in the big city, Mattie continued her education at Rothchild JHS and Bay Ridge HS, graduating and going on to further her education at Kingsborough Community College, where she majored in Business Administration and received an A.A.S. Degree. While attending college, she met her late husband John M. Sykes, Sr. They had one child, John M. Skyes, Jr.

As a young mother, Mattie returned to the work force, landing jobs in the retail field. After that, she accepted a position with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Child Care. During her 29 years in the department, she became an advocate for children, working on special projects with the Associate Commissioner. Mattie is also strongly active with District Council 37, working as a shop steward and delegate for Local 1549.

Mattie worked in the community with the Neighborhood Youth Corp and summer lunch programs while sitting on the Board of the Five Block Daycare Center. She enjoys promoting AIDS and Breast Cancer Awareness at local health fairs around the city.

Currently a member of the Bethany Baptist Church, Mattie has served as secretary to the Ladies Usher Board for several years. With the love and guidance she receives from above, she is content with caring for her elderly mother and watching her two darling granddaughters, Chyna and Aja Sykes grow up.

Mattie enjoys spending her free time with her family and dearest friends whenever possible and truly feels the Lord's blessings.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing Matilda ``Mattie'' Sykes.