The Honorable Senator Ulysses Currie

Obituary For The Honorable Senator Ulysses Currie

Ulysses Currie was born July 10, 1937 in Whiteville, N.C. to Chester Currie and Beatrice Jones Currie. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Rhetta Mae Currie. On Friday, December 27, 2019 he joined the great cloud of witnesses and now sleeps with his ancestors. The son of a sharecropper, Ulysses knew that education was the way out of poverty. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies and History from North Carolina A & T College in 1959 while working on the railroad in Maryland during the summers. Following graduation, he enlisted in the Army and was stationed in Schwabisch Gmund, Germany from 1960 to 1963. Upon his return to civilian life, he studied at Howard University, earned a Master’s Degree in Education from American University, then pursued doctoral studies in Early Childhood Development at the University of Maryland, College Park. After 29 years of service to the Prince George’s County School System where his career included teaching, serving as a Principal, and directing the Prince George’s County Head Start Program, he retired in 1993 to focus on politics as he was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1986. Quickly rising through the ranks, Delegate Currie made history on Thursday, February 18, 1993 as the first African American to preside over the Maryland House of Delegates. A year later, he successfully won his bid for the Maryland Senate where he again made history when the President of the Senate recognized his ability and leadership and appointed him to become the first African American to serve as the Chairman of the powerful Budget & Taxation Committee, and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Public Safety, Transportation & Environment.

Following 32 years of distinguished service to the Maryland General Assembly, he retired on December 31, 2018 with the title “Dean of Senators.” In his honor, a bill entitled The Ulysses Currie Head Start Act was passed in both the House and the Senate that will exist in perpetuity. Among his many accomplishments, he sponsored and fought for legislation to increase funding for schools; strengthen child support enforcement; establish Welfare Reform; provide tax credits for hiring people who leave the welfare rolls and to employers who hire the disabled; incentives to expand African American business ownership; establish stronger gun control laws; expand drug abuse treatment; prevent teen pregnancy; make day care available to working families; and help families keep their homes from foreclosure.

Senator Currie’s outstanding legislative skills and leadership qualities have been widely recognized. In addition to having an “Interpretative Sign” mounted in his honor at Walker Mill Regional Park by the P.G. Park and Planning Commission, he has received numerous awards, including but not limited to: The First Citizen Award from the Maryland State Senate; Exemplary Service Award from the Democratic Central Committee; Outstanding Service Award from the Berkshire Community; and awards from the Council of State Governments Eastern Regional Conference; Maryland Black Caucus Foundation; Dimensions Healthcare System; DC Autism Society; Unique Learning Center; NAACP; Prince George’s County Education Association; Municipal Police Agencies of Prince George’s County; Lake Arbor Foundation; Prince George’s County Contractors and Business Associations and the Prince George’s County Park and Planning Commission.

A phenomenal and loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle, brother-in-law and man of God, Ulysses leaves to cherish his memory his devoted wife, Rev. Shirley A. Gravely-Currie; two sons, Ulysses Michael Currie (Janet S. Currie) of Howard County, MD and Aris Ulysses Currie of Forestville; two wonderful grandchildren, Christopher Currie of Morehouse College and Taylor Currie of Spelman College, Atlanta, GA; one niece, Wanda Currie of Philadelphia, PA; one nephew, Robert Currie (Stacy) of Havre de Grace, MD, and a host of other great nieces and nephews, cousins, in-laws and friends. He positively touched the lives of countless people over the years and will forever live in their hearts.

The family will receive friends on Sunday,January 12, 2020, at The C.R.V. Memorial Chapel at Hairston Funeral Home at 12:30 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. A graveside service will follow at 2:00 p.m, Sunday, January 12, 2020, at the Gravely Family Cemetery,10 Daisy Lane, Martinsville, VA.

Arrangements entrusted to Hairston Funeral Home, Martinsville, VA.