Austin Scott: “this is indeed an extraordinary time. I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) for allowing me to…”

“this is indeed an extraordinary time. I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) for allowing me to participate in this great testimonial to an extraordinary woman, Mrs. Rosa Parks. Mrs. Rosa Parks was indeed an extraordinary lady who made extraordinary contributions at an extraordinary time in American history. You know, sometimes at certain moments in life you feel that there are no words that are adequate to really tell the true story and to give the worth that a life like Rosa Parks deserves. But the word that comes to my mind, as I think of Rosa Parks, is that word ``great,'' because Rosa Parks was a great lady. But she was a great lady of greatness. {time} 2145 It might be wise of us just to take a moment and look at that word great, greatness. The great Greek philosopher Aristotle, when asked what did it take to be a great person, said, in order to be a great person, you must first of all know yourself, know thyself. Well, Rosa Parks certainly knew herself. She not only knew who she was, she knew whose she was. For Rosa Parks more than anything else was foremost and first of all a child of God, as was so eloquently pointed out by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers), who knew her so personally well. She was truly a child of God. When that question was put to the great Roman general, Marcus Aurelius, what does it take to be a great person, Marcus Aurelius said, in order to be a great person, you must first of all discipline yourself.…”