[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 76 (Thursday, June 16, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 16, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                  JIMMY GAUNCE: 38 YEARS OF LEADERSHIP

                                 ______


                            HON. BART GORDON

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 15, 1994

  Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, whoever it was who said that leaders aren't 
born--they're made--just might have been thinking of Jimmie Gaunce, 
because over the course of his 38-year career in Tennessee's labor 
movement, he's done exactly what leaders do: He put his foot on the 
bottom rung of the ladder and then pulled others up behind him.
  On October 8, 1956, after serving his country for 4 years in the Air 
Force, Jimmie was initiated into the International Association of 
Machinists & Aerospace Workers at the Queen City Lodge No. 1501 in 
Tullahoma, TN.
  He quickly moved up through the ranks, first as a job steward in his 
local lodge, then chief steward, president of District Lodge 169, 
president and directing business representative of the newly formed 
district and finally, as executive vice president of the Tennessee AFL-
CIO and president of the Tennessee State Council of Machinists.
  Today, his commonsense approach to issues and his commitment to what 
is right for workers, their families, and their communities is 
respected and admired throughout the State.
  But true to his middle Tennessee roots, I suspect the things Jimmie 
is most proud of don't have a lot to do with the titles he holds or the 
honors he's received or the conventions he's attended. If those were 
the things most important to him I doubt he'd be retiring so much 
earlier than his colleagues can afford to lose him.
  In fact, I suspect the things Jimmie is most proud of are his 
children and their mother Brenda and their six grandchildren and, come 
October, the birth of his first great-grandchild.
  After 38 years of leadership, Jimmie Gaunce is retiring. His 
leadership will be missed but as he starts a new chapter in his life, 
he can do so knowing that he always worked for what he thought was best 
for the hard-working men and women of Tennessee. Please join me in 
paying tribute to Jimmie Gaunce for his leadership and his diligent 
efforts to build a brighter future for Tennessee and the Nation.

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