[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 47 (Tuesday, April 26, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 26, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       TRIBUTE TO RHODES COLLEGE

 Mr. SASSER. Mr. President, I am pleased today to pay tribute 
and offer my sincere congratulations to the Rhodes College mock trial 
program. Last month at the 10th Annual National Intercollegiate Mock 
Trial Tournament in Des Moines, IA, Rhodes College captured the 
national championships in the two highest divisions of the competition.
  Rhodes College is a small, highly respected private liberal arts 
college in Memphis, TN. Rhodes has been producing quality graduates for 
almost 150 years--I should know, since I currently have 5 Rhodes alumni 
on my staff.
  Over 100 colleges and universities, including Ivy League schools, 
major State universities, and private liberal arts colleges, sent teams 
to compete in the mock trial tournament. Each team first participated 
in a regional competition to qualify for one of three divisions at 
nationals: the first-tier, championship flight; the second-tier, gold 
flight; or the third-tier, silver flight. Rhodes College sent two teams 
to the tournament, and they each won a national championship: one in 
the championship flight division and the other in gold flight.
  Of course, this success would not have been possible without the hard 
work and dedication of the many young people participating in the 
competition. Spending many hours researching the fine points of law, 
boning up on courtroom procedures and fine tuning their vocal 
abilities, the Rhodes College mock trial teams demonstrated proficiency 
in the law and earned national titles.
  The members of Rhodes' championship flight mock trial team are 
seniors Trey Hamilton, Karen Jones, Eric Dunning, Emily Pouzer, Caprice 
Roberts, Sam Woods; and juniors Melissa Berry and Michele Hart. Gold 
flight team members are seniors Andrea Moseley, Kevin Wiley, Robert 
Browning; juniors Trent Taylor and Paul Guibau; sophomore Ryan Feeney 
and freshman Gina Yannitell. All should be commended for their fine 
achievements.
  I also commend the people behind such success--the coaches of the 
Rhodes College Mock Trial Teams: Professor Marcus Pohlmann, Mr. Whit 
Gurkin and Mrs. Thais Davenport Kilday. Professor Pohlmann has been 
head of the college mock trial program for the past 7 years, leading 
Rhodes to two previous national championships in 1990 and 1991. Mr. 
Gurkin is an attorney at the firm Wilson, McRae, Ivy, Sevier, McTyier 
and Strain, also located in Memphis. Mrs. Kilday, herself a Rhodes 
graduate and mock trial participant, works in the chaplain's office at 
Rhodes. They sacrificed their valuable free time and volunteered to 
help Professor Pohlmann prepare a top-notch team for competition. As 
you can see, their efforts yielded great rewards.
  Mr. President, I know the entire community of Rhodes College--indeed, 
Rhodes alumni everywhere--join me in high praise of the college mock 
trial teams and coaches on their national titles.

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