Recognizing Reverend Dr. Willie Gable, Jr. Retiring Pastor of Progressive Baptist Church After 34 Years of Service

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to an outstanding, cherished public servant from my home State of Louisiana. Dr. Willie Gable, Jr., a native of New Orleans, received his Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary (Dayton, OH), Master of Divinity from Union Baptist Theological Seminary (New Orleans, LA), Master of Public Administration from the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, CA) and Bachelor's of Science from Tennessee State University (Nashville, TN).

Committed to a life of ministry and community service, Dr. Gable retires as pastor of Progressive Baptist Church, only its third pastor in 123 years. He is also the founder and Executive Director of the Dr. M.W. McCaleb Educational Fund, Inc., a non-profit organization that offers housing through its four facilities, rental assistance, and tutoring services to low-income individuals and families.

During the formative years of life as a youngster growing up in the Calliope Public Housing units, Dr. Gable considered all kinds of careers, but initially was not drawn to serve God as a preacher. However, he ultimately found his true calling as a servant of the Lord, and our community is so grateful that he did.

Dr. Gable worked for years in the Health Public Administration field, including as the Fiscal Administrator of the Nashville Model Cities Program in Nashville, Tennessee. His achievements in program development gave the opportunity to join Meharry Medical College faculty to develop a new undergraduate program in Health Administration and Planning. He coordinated the development and construction of Pembroke Area Family Health Center and Health Department where he also served as CEO. He was recruited to Chicago, Illinois as the Administrator of Tabernacle Hospital, a 130-bed African American church-owned facility.

Dr. Gable has formerly served on many community boards throughout his career. Currently, he is a member of American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging as well as the National Baptist Convention Housing and Economic Development Commission as Board Chairman and President, which manages 27 housing facilities across 17 states. Also, he serves on the National Conference for Community and Justice, Legacy Foundation, Director Faith Based Initiatives HUD National Baptist Convention USA, Inc., and Gulf Coast Housing Partnership. He is 3rd Vice President of the 1st District Missionary Baptist Association and an Instructor with Louisiana Baptist and National Baptist Convention's Congresses of Christian Education.

He has been an inspirational mentor to me, and I will truly miss his service to this community.

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