{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://plaskett.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=6026", "CONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT EXPRESSES CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF RICHARD SCHRADER", "2026-04-11", "2026", "2026-04", "Democrat", "House", "VI", "Stacey E. Plaskett", "P000610", "plaskett.house.gov", "plaskett", "https://plaskett.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "For Immediate Release Contact: Tionee Scotland\n\nApril 11, 2026 202-808-6129\n\nPRESS RELEASE\n\nCONGRESSWOMAN PLASKETT EXPRESSES CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF RICHARD SCHRADER\n\nSt. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands \u2014 Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett today issued the following statement on the passing of Richard Schrader, beloved son of St. Croix, author, poet, and cultural icon of the U.S. Virgin Islands:\n\n\u201cThe Virgin Islands has lost one of its great storytellers and most devoted culture bearers. Richard Schrader spent his life making sure that who we are, including our traditions, our folklore, our history, would never be forgotten.\n\n\u201cFrom his early years on to his service in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Mr. Schrader embodied the resilience and pride of the Virgin Islands people. After a distinguished career in law enforcement, he picked up a pen, and in doing so, gave our islands a voice that will endure for generations.\n\n\u201cOver nearly four decades and across twenty-eight books, Mr. Schrader catalogued our Virgin Islands traditions and folklore with extraordinary vividness and love. Works like St. Croix by Night, Notes of a Crucian Son, and In A Heartbeat: Stories of the Virgin Islands Army National Guard are not just books, they are our living memory. He was rightly honored as the Virgin Islands Humanities Council\u2019s Humanist of the Year and penned the 2003 Inaugural Poem, a testament to how deeply his words are an integral piece of the fabric of our community.\n\n\u201cMr. Schrader was a consummate gentleman. A reminder of Crucian men with quiet strength, tremendous capacity to give love and an enduring commitment to family, community and country. I will miss his kind words, his reassuring smile and the sense of safety, even in his advanced years, I would have when he was around or when his great niece Angeline Muckle Jabbar started, \u201cI spoke to my Uncle\u2026.\u201d\n\n\u201cI send my prayers for God\u2019s comfort and peace to his wife Claudette, his children, and all who loved him \u2014 the people of the Virgin Islands grieve with you. Mr. Schrader\u2019s stories will remain in our memories, reminding us of the pure strength and God-given grace of Virgin Islanders.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-12T05:43:33Z", "2026-04-12T05:44:50Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://plaskett.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=6026"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.190951094031334, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}