FLASHREPORT

Let me skip the politics for a moment and recall a proud moment of my old boss, former Rep. James Rogan.  Rogan is today a Superior Court Judge in Orange County's "North Court," but until January 2001 he was a Congressman representing Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena, the latter home to Mack and Jackie Robinson.

Yesterday's Los Angeles Times noted the teapot tempest aboil in the City of Roses over which brother to commemorate in the re-opening of an eponymous park/ballfield. 

While the city argues about which name to affix to a park, it is worth noting another commemoration on Lincoln Avenue: the U.S. Post Office named after longtime city resident Mack Robinson.  The bill to name this post office was passed, with, it should be noted, the support of many prominent Los Angeles-area democratic members.  President Clinton signed the bill into law in October, 2000.  The bill was authored by then Rep. Rogan.

Here is what Rogan told the House speaking in support of this bill back in 2000:

"Mack's story is so inspiring. From humble beginnings, Mack became a respected community leader who influenced young people's lives.

"Mack's reputation as a local track star piqued the interest of Olympic organizers. Over 60 years ago, Mack, along with another Olympic great, Jesse Owens, traveled to Berlin to compete in the 1936 games. In competition, it was reported that Mack's skill and technical ability on the track was so pure that he thought nothing of wearing the same track shoes that he wore in competition in Pasadena to compete in the Olympic village against the world's best and to win.

"Mack earned his silver medal in that competition, with Jesse Owens winning the gold medal. Both of these great American Olympians portrayed a powerful image of freedom in the midst of a hostile and fascist Nazi Germany. Mack returned home to begin working in Pasadena as a city employee, and he also cared for his mother and for his family.

"Mack eventually lost his job with the City, Mr. Speaker. As the New York Times later reported, Pasadena's African-American city employees were summarily fired in a desegregation battle when a judge opened the public pools and other facilities to all city residents.

"Showing the same determination that carried him to triumph on the track, Mack never flagged. He channeled his energy and commitment back to his own neighborhood and to others throughout the city. He became a well-respected and widely known community figure, as well as an internationally recognized athlete. Mack volunteered countless thousands upon thousands of hours in gymnasiums, boys and girls clubs and after-school programs throughout the area."

Rogan spoke those words from the heart.  If you follow the link above and read the entirity of his remarks you can read the personal story he shares about meeting Mack and his wife "Del" a dozen years before when he was a district attorney working in Pasadena. 

Proof that all which Congress produces is not political fluff.  A nice reminder on a fall Friday.