Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the 105th year of life of the Reverend Alphonso Washington. Rev. Washington was raised by his grandparents in Hume, Virginia. He attended the Mount Morris Primitive Baptist Church (later called Mount Morris…
Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the 105th year of life of the Reverend Alphonso Washington. Rev. Washington was raised by his grandparents in Hume, Virginia. He attended the Mount Morris Primitive Baptist Church (later called Mount Morris Baptist Church), where his grandfather served as the pastor. He went to school while also working odd jobs to help his mother and stepfather. Beyond working on the family farm, he also took on plumbing and construction jobs. In November 1942, he received a letter from ``your uncle'' . . . Uncle Sam, stating Alphonso Washington had been drafted into the U.S. Army. He was sent to Fort Meade, MD, for about a week, and then traveled by train to the new Air Navigation School in San Marcos, Texas. The U.S. Army was still segregated at that time, and while the white barracks had been built on the new base, there were no black barracks yet. He and his fellow soldiers slept on the train and then in tents until the black barracks were completed.
Since there were no black chaplains, and he had preaching experience, Alphonso was assigned to the base Chaplain Corp. It was during this timeframe Rev. Washington made a truly risky stand for God. While praying for troops that were heading out to war, a new Chaplain Officer, Major Dunn, stated: ``I will not swear to you there is a God, because I have not seen Him. . . .'' Thinking those troops definitely needed their faith strengthened, not reduced, Private First Class Washington stood up and challenged the Major regarding God's existence. For this, he was charged with insubordination, and ``blackballed'' from promotion in lieu of Court Marshall. After the war, Rev. Washington remained in the San Marcos area for nearly 60 years with his first wife, Rosa Mae.
When Rev. Washington moved back to Virginia in the early 2000s, he returned to Mount Morris Baptist Church and served as an associate minister, traveling to preach in local churches, perform marriages, funerals, and counseling. He was later appointed to the position of Senior Statesman, where he continues to serve through preaching, committee appointments, the Sunday School Conference, the Women's Auxiliary and Ministers and Deacons Conference. In 2002, he married his current wife and former secretary of the church, Carol Whitmore.
In 2009, he wrote an autobiography called, ``All in God's Time'' and has held book signings and been the keynote speaker throughout Fauquier and Culpeper Counties. The book contains his memoirs from his early days in Hume through his marriage to Carol at the time he wrote the book. He has served as an American Legion Chaplain since 1946 and has been preaching the Word of God for over 83 years. Rev. Washington and his wife Carol currently reside in Culpeper, VA. I'm happy to honor Rev. Alphonso Washington on 105 years of life and know he will continue to do great things.
