[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 96 (Thursday, July 21, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 21, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
   A TRIBUTE TO FORMER RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA MAYOR, AVERY UPCHURCH

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                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 21, 1994

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a few 
moments today to pay tribute to Avery Upchurch, mayor of Raleigh, NC 
from 1983 to 1993, and exemplary public servant with whom I worked 
closely and from whom I learned much, a constituent whom I was honored 
to represent, and a friend. Mayor Upchurch died recently after a brave 
bout with cancer, and I want to remind my colleagues of just how much 
he contributed to Raleigh and to North Carolina.
  Avery Upchurch grew up in southwestern Wake County and moved to 
Raleigh when he was in high school. From the time he opened his well-
known gas stations on Glenwood Avenue and Peace Street as a young man, 
he was active in trying to foster business opportunities in the area. 
Indeed, a great part of the success Raleigh and the research triangle 
have enjoyed in recent years can be attributed to Mayor Upchurch.
  Mayor Upchurch presided over the city at a pivotal time--when it was 
undergoing the transformation from a government town to a growing, 
thriving, diversifying American city--and he knew that it could not 
grow without adequate infrastructure and a vision of economic 
development. He championed critical elements in Raleigh's growth, from 
the World Trade Center at Research Triangle Park, to mass transit and 
highway improvements, to downtown revitalization, to major water supply 
projects at Falls of the Neuse and Jordan Lake. Ultimately, these 
efforts spearheaded by Major Upchurch earned the research triangle area 
the designation by Fortune magazine as the number one place in the 
country to do business. And they will have a lasting impact not only on 
the triangle, but on our State as a whole.
  I found in Mayor Upchurch an affable and able colleague who never 
shirked a demanding task and constantly sought Federal, State, and 
local cooperation to accomplish common goals. His constituents admired 
his folksy style and accessibility, referring to him as the ``drive in 
Mayor'' because of his willingness to listen to those visiting his gas 
station about issues of importance to the city. They elected him to an 
unprecedented five terms as mayor.
  Avery Upchurch was a model public servant. With modesty and quiet 
good humor, he served the city of Raleigh and its environs with vision, 
dignity, and grace. His is a legacy we will long value and remember, 
and from which we will benefit for generations to come.
  Mr. Speaker, I request that the July 2 editorial tribute from the 
Raleigh News & Observer be reprinted at this point in the Record.

                           The People's Mayor

       Avery Upchurch was a nice man, a really nice man. If ever 
     there were proof that life isn't fair, it is in his premature 
     death from cancer, after he had completed 10 years of good 
     leadership as Raleigh's mayor. Upchurch had earned some years 
     at the beach, some relaxation. Instead, he spent these last 
     months battling a fearsome disease.
       Many memories, many emotions now wash over those he touched 
     in his years of public service.
       And service is what was most important to Upchurch. He 
     really saw his positions on the City Council, and later as 
     mayor, as a trust bestowed by his friends, the citizens. 
     Some--thousands--he knew from his gas stations, where he was 
     known to work even in his mayoral days. Others got to know 
     the mayor through his civic work. All came away impressed 
     with the ruddy, stocky Upchurch.
       He wore authority well--with command, but with no 
     arrogance. That was evident in council meetings, and in the 
     many hundreds of community meetings in which he was involved 
     each year. Upchurch was aware of being in charge, and he 
     could get fed up, but he recognized that the responsibility 
     of his position compelled him to bend over backward to 
     balance order with fairness. Everyone felt that at least they 
     had a say.
       The mayor also was a champion of better race relations. He 
     did not wait for crisis--he sought to involve people from all 
     neighborhoods and backgrounds and social stations in 
     decision-making. Some would quarrel with his decision; few 
     would claim the decision was made in a vacuum.
       Nor were decisions made in secret. One reason that 
     Raleigh's City Council remains comfortable operating in the 
     spotlight today is Avery Upchurch. Though he at times would 
     have been more at ease behind closed doors, the mayor 
     recognized that government simply can't work that way. So he 
     demanded openness of himself and others--and he did not 
     tolerate secrecy in city agencies.
       He was not flashy, nor was he a fiery orator who left 
     volumes of colorful quotes in his public wake. He was more a 
     worker, a do-er, an achiever. The city he served was better 
     for his service. The friends he knew were richer for his 
     friendship. No more satisfying epitaph can be written.

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