Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable public servant, former Mississippi State Senator Joseph C. Thomas. Senator Thomas is a lifelong resident of Yazoo City, Mississippi. He is a graduate of Jackson State University where he

received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and is a proud graduate of the University of Mississippi's School of Banking. After 30 years of service Senator Thomas retired as Vice President of AmSouth Bank.

In 1977, Senator Thomas received the Jackson State University Business Award and was selected by the Mississippi Economic Council as one of 50 outstanding young men under the age of 35 in the state of Mississippi. In that same year, he was also the recipient of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education Award in Washington D.C. A lover of history, Senator Thomas has served as Chairman of the Oakes African-American Culture Center since its start in 1992, earning him recognition as one of the most prominent Afro- American historians in the state of Mississippi.

Senator Thomas is a lifelong public servant. He served as National Treasurer and Executive Vice President of the Friends of Amistad, a national organization in support of the Amistad Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. He served on the Jackson State University National Development Foundation Board of Directors, served as Chairman of the Management Team of the Yazoo County Fair and Civic League, Inc., and was president of the League Management Team Corporation, whose purpose is to provide housing for the elderly and handicapped.

In 1984 Senator Thomas was appointed to the Yazoo City Public Service Commission, where he served as Vice Chairman from 1986 to 1995, and was elected Chairman in April 2000. He also headed the Policy Council and on the Board of Directors of the American Public Power Association, a national organization representing about 2,000 not-for-profit community owned electric utilities. Senator Thomas has also served as President of the Yazoo City Municipal School Board as well as Vice Chairman of the Mississippi Real Estate Appraisal Board.

In 2003, his lists of public service accomplishments were increased when he was elected as State Senator in Mississippi's 21st District. During his terms in office, he served on the Economic Development & Tourism, Education, Finance, Insurance, Judiciary, Division B and Public Health & Welfare Committees. In addition to his work in the State Legislator, Mr. Thomas has served on the National Conference of State Legislatures Health Committee and the Southern Conference of State Legislatures Education Committee.

Senator Thomas is married to the former Elizabeth Wilburn of Benton, Mississippi, and they are the parents of three children, Joseph, Jr., Kirk, and Whitney. They also have two grandchildren, Tytianna and Kameron.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing former State Senator Joseph C. Thomas for his unyielding dedication and service to Yazoo City, Mississippi and the entire state of Mississippi.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the community action agency, Sunflower-Humphreys Counties Progress, Incorporated. Sunflower-Humphreys Counties Progress, Inc. was founded in August 1965 and has locations throughout the Mississippi Delta. Sunflower-Humphreys Counties Progress, Inc. is dedicated to providing quality service to the community through diverse selections of programs that empower the community.

Sunflower-Humphreys Counties Progress, Inc. provides education and awareness about various educational and community development programs. As one of the organization's largest programs, the Sunflower Humphreys Head Start program promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through education, health, and nutritional services. Through the program's five Head Start sites and two school districts, they serve 570 Head Start children. Their Early Head Start program is for low-income infants, toddlers, and pregnant women and their families. This program addresses children's physical, social, and emotional development as well as assists pregnant women in accessing comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care. In their four Early Head Start sites they serve 72 Early Head Start children and twelve pregnant women.

Since its inception in 1965 the Sunflower, Humphreys Counties Progress, Inc. has also worked to combat poverty for persons living below the poverty guidelines within Sunflower County, Mississippi. They have implemented a food pantry which distributes donated foods to those in need and a thrift shop that sells donated items for a very low price. They also have a Senior Companion Aging Program, which is a service initiative for people age 60 and older that provides not only meals, but also assistance and friendship to elderly individuals who are homebound.

Mr. Speaker, I ask our colleagues to join me in recognizing the Sunflower-Humphreys Counties Progress organization in its commitment to combating poverty by taking action in empowering the citizens of Sunflower and Humphreys Counties.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Mid-Delta Home Health and Hospice Center. The Mid-Delta Home Health and Hospice Center was founded by Clara T. Reed in 1978 in Belzoni, Mississippi. For more than 30 years the Mid-Delta Home and Hospice has been dedicated to serving the needs of patients throughout the Mississippi Delta.

Mid-Delta Home Health and Hospice Center continues under the dynamic leadership of Chief Executive Officer Clara T. Reed. Mrs. Reed received her licensed practical nursing degree from Mississippi Valley State University in 1964. She later received her Registered Nursing degree in 1970 and a Bachelor's degree in Gerontology from Mississippi Valley State University in 1990.

Mrs. Reed's outstanding leadership and dedication has moved the organization on a progressive track and helped to expand its reach around and beyond the state of Mississippi. Mid-Delta Home Health and Hospice provides health and hospice care to individuals and their families in 32 of the 82 counties in the State of Mississippi. Mid- Delta operates 10 branches in Mississippi locations which include Batesville, Belzoni, Clarksdale, Cleveland, Canton, Greenwood, Greenville, Lexington, Madison, and Tunica. They also have offices in Bastrop and Vidalia, Louisiana. Currently, Mid-Delta has over 650 employees spread throughout the Mississippi Delta and treats over 3,500 patients annually. Mid-Delta prides itself on providing specialized services 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mid-Delta Home Health and Hospice for its unwavering commitment and continued home health care services it provides in the great state of Mississippi and surrounding areas.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Ripley Blackwell Head Start Center, Inc. The center was named in honor of two civil rights pioneers, Mrs. Minnie Ripley, and Mrs. Unita Blackwell, the first African-American elected as the Mayor of Mayersville, Mississippi, in 1976. The center was originally known as the Friends of Children of Mississippi, until 1980 when they adopted the name of Ripley Blackwell Head Start Center. The center serves both Sharkey and Issaquena counties in the Mississippi Delta. The center's mission is to educate the children of Sharkey & Issaquena counties as well as serving their families.

The Ripley Blackwell Head Start became a valuable part of the community by addressing the barriers that hindered growth and development, and the nurturing of a community bond. The area director, Mr. Roger Robinson, was instrumental in convincing the school board to purchase an old high school for the growth and expansion and all the amenities needed to accommodate the center.

In the beginning the center served 180 children and their families with nine units. Currently, Ripley Blackwell Head Start serves 111 children and their families with six units. They have successfully transitioned over 5,558 children into the public schools of Sharkey and Issaquena counties.

For over 30 years the Ripley Blackwell Head Start Center has prepared children to enter kindergarten confidently with the social, physical, emotional, and cognitive skills and competencies necessary for continued school success. Mr. Speaker, I ask our colleagues to join in recognizing the Ripley Blackwell Head Start Center, Inc. for their commitment to educating the community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable public servant, Attorney Edward Blackmon, Jr. Attorney Blackmon was born and raised in Canton, Mississippi. He is a graduate of Tougaloo College, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He received his Juris Doctorate from the George Washington University Law Center in Washington, DC in 1973.

Shortly after completing George Washington University, Attorney Blackmon began practicing law in Mississippi at the North Mississippi Rural Legal Services in Greenwood, Mississippi. Attorney Blackmon remained with North Mississippi Rural Legal Services until 1974 when he entered into private practice in Canton, Mississippi with the Law Firm of Blackmon & Smith. In 1989, Attorney Blackmon and his wife, Attorney Barbara Blackmon, formed the Law Firm of Blackmon & Blackmon in Canton where he currently serves as the firm's Senior Partner.

Attorney Blackmon has extensive experience in personal injury, products liability and defense law. His clientele reads like a ``Who's Who'' among corporate America. Attorney Blackmon has defended some of the nation's top corporate companies in civil litigation, and obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in civil awards for damages on behalf of his clients.

Attorney Blackmon also has lengthy experience in criminal law defense as well. During a 20 year period involving more than 50 defense trials, Attorney Blackmon excelled without losing a single case.

He is a 24 year member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, where he previously served as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. In other capacities, he has served as Chairman of the Legislative Black Mississippi State House of Representatives Caucus, President of the Magnolia Bar Association, and is currently serving as a member of the Tougaloo College Board of Trustees, in addition to the George Washington University School of Law Board of Advisors.

In 2002 Attorney Blackmon was named by the National Law Journal as one of the Nations Top 10 Litigators. Among his many achievements in his role as a public servant, Attorney Blackmon is most proud of his work as a State Legislator. He has led redistricting efforts that led to the reapportionment of legislative and judicial districts which increased the number of minority representation in each of those offices.

Attorney Blackmon and his wife, Attorney Barbara Blackmon, are celebrated for their philanthropic services in the area of education. They have made substantial financial contributions to their alma maters, Tougaloo College and Jackson State University, in addition to a number of other institutions and individual students seeking to advance themselves through higher education. Attorney Blackmon is a member of the Cade Chapel Missionary Baptist Church and is the father of four children, Janessa, Madison, Bradford and Stephen.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Attorney Blackmon for his dedication and service to the state of Mississippi.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a civil rights champion, the late Mrs. Jessie Pendleton. Mrs. Pendleton served Copiah County for years as a stanch civil rights activist.

She was born on April 29, 1924 to Allee and Pearlie Bowens in Crystal Springs, Mississippi. Jessie was the wife of Mr. J.C. Pendleton and mother to four children, James Cecil, Mattie, Helen and Eva.

Mrs. Pendleton joined Providence Missionary Baptist Church at an early age, where she continued her walk in faith as a dedicated member. She was the organizer of the first Providence Missionary Baptist Church Family & Friends day, which continues as a time honored tradition today. Mrs. Pendleton later became a member of St. Mary's United Methodist Church where she held many leadership positions.

Mrs. Pendleton's love for God and humanity was instrumental in her endeavors to ensure that all men were treated fairly, a passion that ultimately led to her Human Rights activism. On her list of many accolades, is the redistricting lawsuit she filed in Copiah County, Mississippi which resulted in the creation of two predominantly Black districts in Copiah County, Mississippi which were both represented by black Supervisors. Mrs. Pendleton also filed a complaint against Harmony Ridge Water Association, which prior to that restricted water from being provided to citizens in the rural areas of the County.

Mrs. Pendleton founded the Citizens for Progress Club in 1987, whose primary focus was to assist the economically deprived in the Copiah County and surrounding areas. She also had the privilege of serving as President of the Crystal Springs branch of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People. Mrs. Pendleton's tireless efforts in increasing civic participation led to her receiving the mother of the year award for Copiah County in 1986.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life and legacy of Mrs. Jessie Pendleton for her dedication and service to Copiah County, Mississippi.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Bolivar County Head Start Program (BCHSP) which began as an affiliate program under the umbrella of the Bolivar County Community Action Agency, Inc. The program was chartered on June 16, 1965 by the State of Mississippi under Governor Paul B. Johnson. Bolivar County Head Start Program is a non-profit corporation organized for the purpose of eliminating poverty and the causes thereof in Bolivar County, Mississippi.

The Association of Communities of Bolivar County began its operations the summer of 1965 and enrolled 1,308 children in seventeen centers. At its inception, the Bolivar County Head Start Program was housed in multiple buildings and churches. It began its operations the summer of 1966 with an enrollment of 1,550 children served in eight centers located throughout the county. Unfortunately, they have had to reduce the number of sites over the years due to inadequate funding.

Most recently, Bolivar County Head Start Program has made tremendous strides in its development. After years of record growth the Bolivar County Head Start Program was able to transition out of make shift facilities such as churches and old homes to mobile units stationed throughout the county. Thanks to funding from several sources they were able to build three state of the art head start centers in the communities of Rosedale, Shaw and Mound Bayou. In 2012 they added the Early Head Start Program for children 0-3 years of age and expectant mothers, increasing their total enrollment to 890 children.

It has been through strong leadership that the agency has been recognized not only throughout the State of Mississippi, but also nationwide for its performance and service provided to children, families and communities. Mr. Amzie Moore was the first Head Start Director under the Association of Communities of Bolivar County; Mr. Dick Gurnie, the first Executive Director and later Mr. Billy J. McCain was both Head Start Director and Executive Director. After Mr. McCain's untimely departure in 2009, the charge was passed on to Mr. Adolph Hilliard to continue the agency legacy. Shortly afterwards, Mr. Hilliard retired, Mrs. Elnora Littleton was appointed the interim Executive Director. Mrs. Littleton is currently serving as the first African American female to head the Bolivar County Head Start Program.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the Bolivar County Head Start for its outstanding commitment to improving the lives of children and families throughout Bolivar County, Mississippi.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a great African American educator, pastor, attorney, and highly respected member of our community, Reverend Dr. Isaiah Madison, who passed away March 1, 2012, at the age of 71.

Dr. Isaiah Madison was born on February 16, 1941, in Lake Cormorant, Mississippi. He later graduated from Delta Center High School in Walls, Mississippi in 1960. Dr. Madison went on to receive an Associate's Degree from Owens Jr. College in Memphis, Tennessee, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Howard University in 1964. He continued his education at Howard University, where he received his Juris Doctorate. Additionally, Dr. Madison received a Masters Degree in Political Science from Atlanta University and a Masters Degree in Theology from the International Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

Reverend Dr. Isaiah Madison began his career as an instructor teaching Political Science at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and the Clinical Law Program at Howard University School of Law. Dr. Madison was a retired Associate Professor of Political Science at Jackson State University, where he taught courses in Public Law, American Government and Legal Research and Writing. While at Jackson State, he was Co-Advisor of the prominent Fannie Lou Hamer Prelaw Society in the Department. The Reverend Dr. Madison was a prolific writer and author. He published several poems and essays dealing with a wide variety of subjects--ranging from the law to social justice issues.

Dr. Madison was a man of deep and abiding faith, and served wholeheartedly as a United Methodist Pastor and Church Leader. Using his God-given gifts of teaching and exhortation, Dr. Madison pastored churches in Mississippi and Georgia. Dr. Madison was a member of New Dimensions International Ministries, where he served as an Assistant Pastor.

In 1973, Dr. Madison was the lead attorney in the development of the high profile Ayers Case. In fact, he was the Chief Architect of the Ayers decision. Madison was the Founding Chairman of the Black Mississippians' Council on Higher Education which was the support

organization that provided financial and organizational assistance to the Ayers effort. Madison was primarily responsible for the $503,000,000 settlement that was reached in the Ayers Case.

Dr. Madison was married to Carol A. Madison of Memphis, Tennessee. Her son and his stepson, William L. Poston, is serving in the United States Navy.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in extending our sincere gratitude to the life and legacy of Dr. Madison. This extraordinary man was an unsung hero of his generation, who did not seek recognition but always sought justice. Our country was blessed with his service, strengthened by his faith, and bettered by his devotion to his family and the state of Mississippi.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Robert C. Mants, Jr. of Lowndes County, Alabama. Mr. Mants will most notably be remembered as one the four civil rights leaders of the ``Bloody Sunday'' march in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965. He was also a very well known and respected community organizer and activist.

Mr. Mants was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia in 1943. While in the 11th grade, at the age of 16, he was the youngest member of the Committee on Appeal for Human Rights, an Atlanta student movement. During this time, he also volunteered at the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee Headquarters (SNCC) in Atlanta. After graduating from high school in 1961, he briefly attended Morehouse College before deciding to dedicate one hundred percent of his time to the Civil Rights Movement.

By the summer of 1964, Mr. Mants was working for SNCC in Americus, Georgia. While working with the SNCC Southwest Georgia Project, he met his future wife, Joann Christian. In early 1965, he went to work in Lowndes County, Alabama, and was instrumental in the planning of the Selma-to-Montgomery March in March 1965. The march was organized at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with the goal to lead protestors to Montgomery and ask Governor George Wallace for protection for black voter registrants. The march was led by Mr. Mants, Mr. John Lewis, Mr. Albert Turner, and Reverend Hosea Williams.

On ``Bloody Sunday,'' Mr. Mants was in the front ranks of an estimated 600 marchers as they crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Waiting for them on the other side of the bridge was a wall of Alabama state troopers. Subsequently, the demonstrators were brutally attacked with nightsticks and fired upon with tear gas. Seventeen marchers were hospitalized, and the day was nicknamed ``Bloody Sunday.'' Televised images of the

brutal attacks presented people with horrifying images of marchers left bloodied and severely injured, and roused support for the United States Civil Rights Movement. Two weeks later, Mr. Mants helped lead thousands of activists from around the country on a weeklong march from Selma to Montgomery to urge state officials to end practices aimed at keeping black Alabamians from voting.

Mr. Mants could have easily bypassed the growing civil rights movement of the 1960s by remaining at Morehouse College and pursuing ``a well-worn path'' to success. Instead, he became involved in the movement during its early stages and established a leadership reputation that put him on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma on March 7, 1965.

Shortly after the marches, Mr. Mants moved to nearby Lowndes County, Alabama to continue his work with the SNCC. Although the Lowndes County population was roughly 80 percent African-American, no black had successfully registered to vote in more than 60 years, as the county was controlled by 86 white families who owned 90 percent of the land. As a result, the SNCC created the Lowndes County Freedom Organization (LCFO) in 1965. The LCFO was a political party that formed to represent African-Americans in the central Alabama Black Belt (17) counties.

The LCFO was also known as the ``Black Panther Party.'' The Party's goal was to promote and place its own candidates in political offices throughout the Alabama Black Belt. In 1966, while their attempts were unsuccessful, they continued to fight and their goal and motto of ``black power'' spread outside of Alabama. The movement spread all over the Nation. Two black Californians, Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, asked for permission to use the Black Panther emblem that the LCFO had adopted for their newly formed Black Panther Party. The Oakland-based Black Panther Party became a much more prominent organization than the LCFO. Thus few people remember the origins of this powerful symbol with impoverished African-Americans in a rural Alabama County.

Mr. Mants continued to live and work in Lowndes County until his untimely death in December 2011. Although he was known more as a civil rights leader and community organizer, Mr. Mants also served as a Lowndes County Commissioner for many years, and was Chairman of the nonprofit ``Lowndes County Friends of the Historic Trail.'' Mr. Mants is survived by his wife of 45 years, Joann Christian Mants, and three children--Kadisha, Kumasi, and Katanga.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that our colleagues join me in honoring the life and legacy of Mr. Robert C. Mants, Jr., a global citizen and activist for civil rights.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor one of the original pioneers of rural and adolescent health care in the state of Mississippi, Dr. Aaron Shirley. Dr. Shirley has always worked to provide quality and accessible health care for the poor and underserved populations in the state of Mississippi.

Dr. Shirley was born in Gluckstadt, Mississippi on January 3, 1933. In 1951, he began his undergraduate studies at Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Mississippi, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1955. He received his Medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee in 1959 and later interned at Hubbard Hospital before completing his residency in pediatrics in 1967 at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi.

Dr. Shirley began private practice in 1960, and for 15 years, practiced general medicine in Vicksburg, Mississippi. From 1963 to 1967, he helped to organize the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and served as chairman for Warren County. Following this, Dr. Shirley was the director of the Mississippi Action for Progress, an organization which provided health care and education to children. From the beginning of his career, he has been committed to health care in Mississippi and was a pioneer in providing volunteer health services to Head Start centers at a time when Head Start was a budding program.

In 1970, Dr. Shirley, along with others, developed the largest community health center in the state of Mississippi, which now serves more than 40,000 low income patients annually. In 1979, he initiated a comprehensive health clinic within an inner city school to provide comprehensive health and counseling services for teens. He placed special emphasis on reducing teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, drug abuse, teenage violence, and mental health problems. This program has since served as a model for other school-based clinics nationwide.

Dr. Shirley's commitment to quality health care led him to be active in the development and/or organization of various agencies and projects which shared his dream of quality, affordable health care for all individuals. Some of those agencies included Mississippi Action for Progress, the Mississippi Association of Community Health Care for the Poor, the Medgar Evers Community Health Center, the Tufts Delta Health Center, and G.A. Carmichael Community Health Center.

Dr. Shirley has served as a member of the Southern Regional Council in Atlanta, Georgia, the Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health, the National Health Insurance Advisory Committee, the Institute of Medicine/National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., the Field Foundation in New York City, New York, and most notably, Dr. Shirley served as a working group member with President Bill Clinton's Health Care Reform Task Force in 1993.

During that same year, Dr. Shirley received the MacArthur Fellows Award which recognizes devotion, dedication, and strides made in one's field. He is the recipient of many outstanding awards both locally and nationally.

Currently, Dr. Shirley serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation, Director of Community Medical Services, and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Mississippi. His efforts are focused on developing and implementing innovative measures to access quality healthcare for the uninsured and underinsured residents of Mississippi. Dr. Shirley is working closely with the State Division of Medicaid as well as with hospitals and other not for profit agencies to reduce health disparities for Mississippians.

His model for Hinds County is currently being reviewed for possible statewide and national replication, through the Robert Wood Johnson's Communities in Charge Program. In 2005, Dr. Shirley was honored with the endowment of Chair for the Study of Health Disparities at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and he was selected to serve as a member of the Citizens Health Care Working Group which was mandated by Congress to hold hearings and community meetings across the country on health care coverage and cost issues, and to produce a ``Health Report to the American People.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring Dr. Aaron Shirley for his tireless commitment and service to the cause of health care throughout the state of Mississippi and abroad.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a longtime Mississippi resident, Vietnam veteran, civil rights activist, dedicated health care professional, and an overall outstanding public servant, Dr. Harry A. Bartee, Sr. Dr. Bartee has devoted his entire life to public health in Mississippi.

Dr. Bartee was born in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and moved frequently with his family throughout the state until finally settling in Canton, Mississippi, where they have remained for the last half century. His father was a Methodist Minister and his mother a school teacher. Dr. Bartee attended Rogers High School in Canton, where he was president of his senior class and played on the school's football team.

After high school, Dr. Bartee attended North Carolina A&T College in Greensboro, North Carolina from 1961 to 1965, and served in the ROTC. It was during this time he became part of one of the greatest student movements in this country for Civil Rights, the Greensboro, North Carolina Sit-ins. There he met his wife, Frances, who at the time attended nearby Bennett College and together, they marched and were arrested for their involvement in those demonstrations. At North Carolina A&T College, he received a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology and joined Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

After graduating from college, Dr. Bartee was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. While waiting to enter active duty, Dr. Bartee returned to Canton, Mississippi, with his wife of two weeks. While showing her around his native city one evening, he entered an establishment which had at one time been a popular spot for black entertainment, and was attacked by an onslaught of white supremacists. They proceeded to beat him beyond recognition, subsequently requiring him to have surgery at the same hospital where he later received his medical degree.

After that experience, he received orders to report to Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento, California. He spent the next five years as a navigator with the KC 135 Refueling Squadron, part of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) during the Vietnam Conflict. He received an honorable discharge after having obtained the rank of Captain, and the Air Medal for Meritorious Achievement Award while participating in aerial flight.

In 1971, he decided to further his studies and entered the University of Mississippi, as a graduate student in Microbiology. After one year he was admitted to the Medical School, where he served as president of Student National Medical Association. He completed his residency in Family Medicine and became the director of Madison-Yazoo-Leake (MYL) Family Health Center in Canton, Mississippi in 1979.

After later establishing a private practice in Canton, Mississippi, Dr. Bartee expanded his operations to the underserved areas of Tchula, Lexington, and Goodman, Mississippi. Dr. Bartee served as a member of the Central Sub-advisory committee of the Mississippi Health Systems Agency and a contract physician with the Madison Yazoo Leake Family Health Center in Yazoo City, Mississippi for three years.

Dr. Bartee served as an emergency room physician throughout the state, from the Gulf Coast to North Mississippi including some eastern and western cities. He served as the Medical Director for the Nurse Mid-Wifery Program at Methodist Hospital of Middle Mississippi in Lexington. Pryor to his decision to enter semi-retirement this past year, Dr. Bartee remains an Emergency Room Physician in Canton, Mississippi.

Dr. Bartee and his wife Frances have four children and nine grandchildren. Frances is a retired public school teacher, his son Harry A. Bartee, Jr., is a physician, in Tennessee and North Mississippi. His daughter Pamela is a nurse anesthetist, while his younger daughters Anne and Candice, followed their mother's footsteps in education.

Dr. Bartee has always empathized with people who were not privileged to have access to quality health care. He has served many poor and impecunious patients, who have always been more than three-fourths Medicaid/Medicare recipients. His greatest consideration has always been with any aspect of inferior treatment of patients based upon racial, cultural or financial status. Even at the age of 68, he is still practicing.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that our colleagues join me in honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Harry A. Bartee, Sr., a global citizen and champion in the health care profession.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable woman, Ms. Hattie Lucinda Bennett. Ms. Bennett was born on January 2, 1916 in Spartanburg, South Carolina to John and Hattie Abner. Ms. Bennett began her early years of school in the Spartanburg community until she and her family relocated to West Palm Beach, Florida. It is in the West Palm Beach community at the early age of 10 that she discovered the severity of economic depression and hardship affecting her community. After visiting a hospital in West Palm Beach, Ms. Bennett realized she would leave her mark on society by becoming a nurse.

Ms. Bennett graduated from West Palm Beach Industrial High School in 1935 as Valedictorian of her class. A short time after that, she began selling insurance policies at a private company to help raise money for college tuition. This job, along with the help of her family and her community, afforded Ms. Bennett the opportunity to successfully attend and complete nursing school as one of 16 blacks. Her achievements did not end there. Ms. Hattie Bennett, after completing nursing school, immediately passed the Georgia and Mississippi Registry Exam, which allowed her to begin a career in nursing.

Ms. Bennett's academic achievements and nursing credentials attracted the attention of Dr. Carl Day of the Yazoo Clinic and Hospital of Yazoo City, Mississippi. In February of 1941, Dr. Carl offered Ms. Bennett the head nursing position at the Yazoo Clinic and Hospital. After generously accepting, Ms. Bennett managed to meticulously raise the standards and performance expectations of the staff by implementing professional training and seminars. She sought to institute professional development activities by the staff to grow and enhance the facility.

Ms. Bennett served admirably as head nurse for the Yazoo Clinic and Hospital of Yazoo City for 29 years before subsequently serving for 2 years at the African American Sons and Daughter Hospital, 14 years at the Heritage Manor Nursing Home, and 32 years at the Mid-Delta Home Health Service.

In 2002, Ms. Bennett retired and was honored for her exemplary lifelong dedication to the nursing profession. Ms. Bennett continues her commitment to nursing as she motivates and encourages youth to pursue a career in the health profession. In 2002, she was honored with the Community Service Award presented by the St. Peters Missionary Baptist Church.

Ms Bennett is also a faithful member of the Bethel A.M.E. Church of Yazoo, Mississippi where she serves as steward, trustee and chairperson of the Surplus Fund.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in honoring a legendary servant of Yazoo City, Mississippi, community, Ms. Hattie Lucinda Bennett.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Dr. Martha Williams Davis of Holmes County, Mississippi. Dr. Davis was the Founder and former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Dr. Arenia C. Mallory Community Health Center, Inc. from 1993 to 2007. In addition to her professional career, she devoted much of her life to improving the lives of others and was a true friend to her community.

Dr. Davis' formal education included having received her Doctorate in Philosophy from Mississippi State University, a Master's of Science from Michigan State University, and a Bachelors of Science from Alcorn State University. In addition to having served as Chief Executive Officer, President and Founder of the Dr. Arenia C. Mallory Community Health Center, Inc., Dr. Davis worked as a consultant with various organizations and companies across the United States.

Dr. Davis was tremendously active in the community. She was associated with several local and national groups and committees. She served as a member on the National Association of Community Health Center Legislative and Health Policy Committee, the Association of Health Administrators, Diamond Life Member of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., Order of Eastern Star, Organized Youth Advisory Council, Student Advisory Council, Organized Delta Health Partners, President of Mississippi Primary Health Care Association, President of the Mississippi School Food Service Administration's Five State Nutrition Project, Trustee to Holmes Community College, and Organized Healthy Start within Mallory Community Health Center System. She was also a Worthy Matron of the Eastern Star Modern Free and Accepted Masons and held the position of Sunday School Superintendent at Saint Paul Church of God and Christ in Lexington, Mississippi.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martha Williams Davis for her steadfast devotion in serving and giving back to her community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mrs. Judy Evans, a health care professional, from Crystal Springs, Mississippi. Mrs. Evans has served in the health care profession for more than 25 years in her hometown of Crystal Springs, Mississippi. She uses her current position as a deputy medical examiner investigator to support, encourage, and assist families in need.

Mrs. Evans is the youngest child of Benjamin and Betty Hicks. She is the wife of Arthur Evans Jr. and mother to their two children, Arthur Lee III and Jabreanne. Mrs. Evans has been recognized as First Lady of Crystal Springs for the past six years. She is an active member of New Zion United Methodist church where she serves as youth ministry co- chair and sings in the gospel choir. She is also a member of the Copiah County Animal Rescue League board.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join me in expressing my appreciation to Mrs. Judy Evans of Crystal Springs, Mississippi, for her commitment and servitude to the cause of health care.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Dr. Armenia C. Mallory Community Health Center, Inc. for their years of service to those in need of quality family health care. The Mallory Health Center provides families within the Mississippi communities of Lexington, Tchula, Durant, Vaiden, Canton and Greenwood quality and affordable health care.

The Mallory Health Center evolved from a community health survey conducted by the Rural Organizing and Cultural Center, Inc. in 1991. The survey documented the many health disparities and access barriers that hindered proper growth, development, and maintenance of a healthy citizen.

In April 1993 the Mallory Community Health Center was incorporated in Mississippi as a nonprofit corporation by a group of committed men and women concerned about improving health care services in their community. The Mallory Community Health Center's mission became to assure that all persons regardless of their ability to pay have access to quality, comprehensive, cost-effective primary health care services. Second to that mission was to empower their community to self- sufficiency while improving the health status of the community.

The Center was named in honor of Dr. Armenia C. Mallory for her untiring commitment to make a difference for all people. She devoted more than 50 years of her life to serving the Holmes County, Mississippi community.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues join me in expressing my gratitude and appreciation to the Dr. Armenia C. Mallory Community Health Center.