European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 15, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse The stars and stripes tuesday. August 15.1989 Leland honoured in Hometown Houston the auditorium at Phllis wheat icy High school filled quickly sunday afternoon after the alumni association announced the memorial service. Hundreds of classmates colleagues and friends came to celebrate with balloons and music the life of the High school s most popular graduate. . Rep. Mickey Leland. Only hours after learning there were no survivors when his plane crashed in Ethiopia. Millions of would be starving children won t be starving because of Mickey Leland said state rep. Al Edwards who also urged that the downtown fed eral office building housing Leland s office be re named for the democratic congressman. Accompanied by amazing Grace How great thou Art and precious speakers remembered their Friend and vowed to carry on his dream to end hunger and starvation. Leland s downtown District office which had operated around the clock All last week while the search for his missing plane went on. Was closed to reporters sunday As state and local officials visited the office to pay their respects visitors included mayor Kathy Whitmire rep. Michael a. Andrews. In Teav and Texas attorney general Jim Mattox. This is a very difficult time for an Drews said. We have lost one of our most important leaders and i be lost a very Good i can hardly accept said Billic Carr. A National democratic who worked with Leland for nearly 20 years in democratic poli tics. Carr said she met Leland in 1970 when the two were jailed for protesting police brutality against minorities in Houston. He came to me a Little later and said he could t change things in the streets he was going to work within the system and run for Leland was elected to the Texas legislature in 1972. In his first appearance in the legislative Cham Ber he wore a Yashiki. Sported an afro and carried a leather shoulder hag. Liberal progressives in Texas always have to be Radical to get Carr said. Mickey got their Leland was born nov. 27, 1944. In Lubbock. But his Mother moved the family to Houston when he was an infant. He grew up in Houston s impoverished fifth Ward was a High school student Council Leader and made straight a s. In 1970, he was graduated from Texas Southern University with a degree in pharmacy. Pharmacy however was soon put aside for a Ca reer in politics. After three terms in the Texas legis lature he announced he would run for the congressional seat being vacated by Barbara Jordan. We Rode the City buses from neighbourhood to neighbourhood Carr said. It was a great Way to Register people to vote she said because Leland used the Opportunity on the buses to introduce himself to future constituents and answer their questions the 18th congressional District which Leland represented is a neighbourhood of Blacks and hispanics near Rice University. It covers a spectrum of Ages and incomes. I can t even think about who could replace Carr said. Mickey took Over a difficult Job. He was t Barbara Jordan. But he was Mickey and that turned out to be plane from Page 1 a . Black Hawk helicopter hovers Over the Silc where he plane carrying rep. Mickey u Lund crushed. Mickey Leland for Many years. His sense of compas Sion and desire to help those in need has aided Mil Lions of people from Houston to Addis House speaker Thomas s. Foley d-wash., said the i Louse lost one of its most dedicated and energetic members. He sent majority whip William h. Gray Iii. D-pa., and rep. Ronald a Dellums d-Calif., chairman of the congressional Black caucus to Addis Ababa to accompany the bodies of the americans Back to the United states. Al Leland s offices on Capitol Hill and in his Home District in Houston friends were answering phones for bereaved staff workers saying that no statements would be immediately available. Leland s wife Alison who is six weeks pregnant with their second child remained in seclusion in Houston. Bloyer said sunday that the area where the wreckage was found had been searched earlier in the week. Initial efforts had focused on finding the source of two faintly heard automatic emergency locator signals but those produced no results. When the wreckage was sighted about noon sunday two paramedics were lowered from a helicopter and confirmed that the plane was he one Leland had been in. Searchers secured the site overnight and planned to Start removing remains at first Light monday taking them by helicopter to the Airfield at Dembi Dollo then on to Addis Ababa and probably to he mortuary facility at Torr Jon a near Madrid Spain. The remains then will be Down to Dover fab Del. Top aide among americans on plane it the Washington Post Washington eight americans accompanied rep. Mickey Leland on the flight from Addis Ababa to an ethiopian refugee Camp. There were Patrice Johnson 35, Leland s chief of staff one of three congressional aides aboard. A former Houston lawyer and past National Board member of the Urban league she joined Leland s staff As legislative director in april 1987 and became his top aide last january. She was a 1976 Summa cum laude graduate of Fisk University where she majored in political science and Public administration. She also had a Law de Gree from new York University and a master s degree in Public affairs from Princeton University. Hugh Anderson Johnson 34, an International team Leader with the House select committee on hunger and a former lawyer for the depart ment of Energy. Johnson no relation to Leland s chief of staff was born in North Carolina and grew up in Washington graduating from gon Aga College High school. He received his undergraduate degree at Morehouse College and his Law degree from Columbia University in 1980. Johnson spent a year in Rio de Janeiro As counsel to a brazilian Law firm and also worked As a traffic court exam Iner with the District of Columbia government. He left the Energy depart ment in March to join the staff of the hunger co Mitlee. Johnson and his wife Patricia have two children Stephen and Dara. Joyce Francine Williams. 39, who works for rep. Ronald Dellums d Calif. She was invited by Leland to go on the trip because of her expertise in infant mortality nutrition and other health care issues. She was born in Atlanta and received a Bachelor s degree from Florida am University and a master s degree in so Cial work from Howard University. Robert Woods who recently began serving As political economic officer of the . Embassy in Addis Babba. He joined the foreign service in 1987 and was on his first overseas assignment. State department officials said Woods a graduate of Harvard University was one of a Skeleton staff at the embassy which has been operating with reduced personnel since the ambassador was withdrawn in 1980. Thomas Worrick one of four . Agency for International development Aid employees travelling on the plane was acting Aid representative in Ethiopia and Deputy to the representative. Willard Pearson Worrick. 48, joined Aid in 1974 and served in Nigeria. Tanzania Pakistan and Kenya before taking his current Post in 1987. He was born in Weymouth. Mass., and studied at new Mexico state University and Penn state University specializing in agricultural Economy. Roberta Thomas Worrick 47, Worrick s wife and a contract employee with Aid was an author who wrote under the name Maria Thomas. Her first work a collection of Short Sto Ries titled come to Africa and save your marriage and other stories was published in 1987. Her first novel Antonia saw the Oryx first was published last year. She was born in Camden. N.j., and had one son according to Aid officials Gladys Gilbert 43, a Public health expert serving As special projects officer for Aid in Addis Babba. She held de Grees from the University of Maryland and the University of Pittsburgh and spent two years As a Volunteer in the peace corps. She served with Aid in India Nepal and Somalia before join ing the Addis Babba office last year. Her husband Michael Cairney lives in Addis Babba. Ivan Tillem 32, a new York Law yer and philanthropist and a close Friend of Leland who shared his con Cern for ethiopian jews
