ST. LOUIS – A courthouse park located in downtown St. Louis will soon bear the name of a pioneering judge who made history as the first African American to serve in the federal government’s 8th Circuit Court.

The U.S. House and Senate have both passed a bill sponsored by U.S. Representative Wm. Lacy Clay to designate a site adjacent to the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse as the “Clyde S. Cahill Memorial Park.” The bill only awaits President Bush’s signature to become law.“It makes me proud to be able to help honor my friend, my mentor and a much admired civil rights pioneer, Judge Clyde S. Cahill,” Congressman Clay said.

The Clyde S. Cahill Memorial Park will be bounded by South 10th Street, Clark Avenue, South 9th Street and Walnut Street.Judge Cahill served on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri for more than two decades. Appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1980, Judge Cahill was the first African American to serve in the federal’s 8th Circuit Court.

Rep. Clay’s bill – H.R. 1556 – passed the House on September 27, 2006 and the Senate two days later on September 29. In a message to Congress on September 27, Rep. Clay recounted the life of Judge Cahill, who died August 18, 2004 at the age of 81.“The honorable Clyde S. Cahill, Jr., was a native St. Louisan,” Rep. Clay told his Congressional colleagues. “He graduated from Vashon High School and served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II. He went on to graduate from St. Luis University and St. Louis University School of Law. Early in his legal career, Mr. Cahill served as chief legal advisor to the Missouri office of the NAACP and filed the first lawsuit in the state of Missouri calling for enforcement of the landmark Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education."

“Throughout his career, Clyde Cahill demonstrated a deep commitment to improving the quality of life in the African-American community,” the Congressman continued. “He was a leader in the struggle for civil rights and he was active in many domestic programs to help the poor and disadvantaged. In 1966, he joined the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity and later he went to work for the St. Louis Human Development Corporation. He also served as executive director and general counsel for the Legal Aid Society of St. Louis, where he played a pivotal role in expanding legal aid services throughout Eastern Missouri.”

In closing, Rep. Clay told Congress: “Judge Cahill was truly a dedicated public servant who spent his life pursuing justice and equality for others. Today, throughout St. Louis, Judge Cahill is fondly remembered for his courteous style and his compassionate heart. He was a hard working man with a generous spirit who helped to improve the lives of countless citizens – some who knew him well and others who never even met him. Judge Cahill’s contributions will benefit generations – and St. Louisans will forever cherish his memory.”