WHEREAS, Congressman William H. Gray III faithfully served Pennsylvania's 2nd Congressional District from 1978 until 1991; and
WHEREAS, Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Congressman Gray graduated from Franklin & Marshall College and Drew Theological Seminary in Jersey City before being elected to Congress; and
WHEREAS, Succeeding his father as pastor of Bright Hope Baptist Church in 1972, Congressman Gray continued to serve in this position until 2007, commuting back to Philadelphia on weekends to deliver Sunday sermons; and
WHEREAS, The Vice-Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressman Gray served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and was also the first African-American to chair the House Budget Committee and also the first African-American to serve as the Majority Whip; and
WHEREAS, During his tenure as Majority Whip, Congressman Gray was the highest ranking African-American to serve in Congress; and
WHEREAS, As Chairman of the House Budget Committee, Congressman Gray introduced anti-Apartheid legislation that prohibited loans and new investment in South Africa, an instrumental precursor to the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986; and
WHEREAS, Upon resigning from Congress in 1991, Congressman Gray went on to serve as President of the United Negro College Fund where he raised more than $2.3 billion dollars for minority institutions; and
WHEREAS, Upon his sudden death in 2013, Congressman Gray was heralded as a powerful, productive and progressive force in the social and political fabric of Philadelphia's history; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council does hereby urge the United States Congress to support the re-designation of the railroad station located at 2955 Market Street, commonly known as the 30th Street Station, to the William H. Gray III 30th Street Station.
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