Recognizing Mr. Stanley R. Lawson, Sr.

Floor Speech

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Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I am humbled and honored to recognize the life and legacy of Stanley R. Lawson, Sr., a veteran and trailblazer in Pennsylvania.

Born and raised in Harrisburg, Stan was a loving father, son, community leader, and public servant whose life's work was defined by service to others. He was a proud combat veteran of the United States Navy, serving in Vietnam from 1960 to 1964. After returning home, he began his 50-year career in politics and public service.

Stan made history in 1969 by becoming the first African American to be elected to the Harrisburg City Council, eventually serving as the Vice President in the early 1970's. His journey in public service continued as the first African American President of AFSCME Council No. 13, the first African American President of the Susquehanna Township Board of Commissioners, and the first African American Chairman of the Dauphin County Republican Committee. In 1986, Stan stood alongside Governor Dick Thornburgh for the signing of House Bill 1855, which conveyed funding and property designated for Susquehanna Township, while he was the President of the Susquehanna Township Board of Commissioners. Those funds were used to create the Susquehanna Township parks, an example of how Stan's leadership directly improved Citizens' quality of life.

In addition to his public service, Stan was deeply committed to the local community, civil rights, and his faith in God. Throughout the 1990's, he established and managed Lawson's Grocery, Stan Lawson's Palace, and multiple residential and commercial real estate enterprises. In 2006, he became the President of the Greater Harrisburg Area NAACP, where he served for over 10 years. In 2009, he was ordained as a Deacon at the First Spirit Filled Missionary Baptist Church.

Over the course of his life, Stan earned several meaningful honors that meant a great deal to him, including the Man of the Year Award from the Dauphin County Teenage Republicans in 1971, a Resolution of Recognition from the Black Republican Council of Pennsylvania in 1982, and a Presidential Award from the IMC of Greater Harrisburg in 2012.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored and privileged to recognize Mr. Stanley R. Lawson, Sr. for his tireless, dedicated, and faithful service to God, family, friends, the Harrisburg community, our Commonwealth, and the United States of America. His lifetime of public service, his pioneering contributions to civil rights, and his enduring commitment to community leadership will endure into eternity. Stan's life example of ``service above self'' set the standard by which all should be judged.

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