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Proclamation honoring in memoriam Oliver Randall Montgomery, Sr., noted retired director of Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees.
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WHEREAS, Oliver Randall Montgomery, Sr. was born on May 31, 1929 and grew up in Youngstown, Ohio; and
WHEREAS, in 1948, Mr. Montgomery joined USWA Local 2163 at the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company in Youngstown, Ohio, and in 1950, he joined USWA Local 1942 Brier Hill Plant, Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company as an Industrial Bricklayer rising through the ranks of the local union serving as a shop steward, grievance chairperson, job evaluation chairperson, education chairperson, workers’ compensation chairperson, Secretary to the Civil Rights Committee, graduate Union Counselor, Local Union Officer, and Central Labor Body Officer; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Montgomery was a founder of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Credit Union and served as its Vice-President until he was asked to join the International Union’s Research Department in 1969 as a Research Associate and Financial Analyst where he served for 24 years. In 1994, Mr. Montgomery was named the International Director of the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR) United Steelworkers of America, a position he held until his retirement in 1999; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Montgomery served as the President of the Youngstown Chapter Negro American Labor Council (NALC) where he rose to become a National Vice President and National Secretary of NALC; He also served as a Board Member and Vice-President of the Allegheny County Labor Council; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Montgomery was actively involved in the planning and organization of many civil rights efforts, including the 1963 March on Washington and the 1965 Selma to Montgomery, Alabama March for Voting Rights, and the Nelson Mandela Free South Africa Movement. Mr. Montgomery also chaired the Labor and Industry Committee of the Youngstown Branch of the NAACP during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s and served as the President of the Penn Hills Branch of the NAACP for over ten years; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Montgomery retired from the U.S. Army in 1989, after serving 41 years of military service both active and reserve; He was a decorated veteran of the Korean War;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that Allegheny County Council does hereby honor in memoriam the life and work of Oliver Randall Montgomery, Sr., and we extend our condolences to his family and friends. Mr. Montgomery’s legacy of his commitment to equality and justice serves as an inspiration to all.