Edolphus Towns: “Let me thank the gentleman from Memphis for yielding to me, because I had an opportunity to work very closely with Dr.…”

“Let me thank the gentleman from Memphis for yielding to me, because I had an opportunity to work very closely with Dr. Hooks. I recall we moved the NAACP to Brooklyn, and he was the president of NAACP at the time we moved them to Brooklyn. I was always impressed with his dedication and commitment to people. Dr. Hooks was really committed to change in a positive way; and, of course, having the opportunity to work very closely with him, I had the opportunity to observe him as he moved with people. He had just a way of bringing about coalitions where people would disagree with each other, but Dr. Hooks could pull them together and some way or another get them to begin to talk and work together. He is going to be truly missed. He was a person that has truly made a difference in this world as a result of his attitude and what he has done on behalf of the people. So may I say to his family, you have my deepest, deepest sympathy; but, here again, we can be thankful that we had an opportunity to live during Dr. Hooks' lifetime. There is no question about it, he made this world a better place for all of us to live.”