[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 65 (Friday, May 10, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H4886]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               BABE DAVIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Kingston] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. KINGSTON. Mr. Speaker, one of the true benefits and best parts 
about serving in public office is getting to know so many people.
  The constituents in Georgia's First Congressional district are an 
outstanding example of great Americans who have made this Nation the 
wonderful country that it is. One of the examples is Mr. Babe Davis. 
He's a friend of mine, a Georgia hero, and truly a great American.
  In 1940, Woodrow Wilson ``Babe'' Davis, a resident of Odum, GA, gave 
up professional baseball, but to this day, baseball fans haven't 
forgotten about him. In the late 1930's, Davis pitched to Lou Gehrig 
and Joe DiMaggio, yet in 1996, he still receives up to 5 or 6 autograph 
requests a week.
  Davis says he got his start in baseball by throwing sticks and corn 
cobs as a small child. When he was in grade school he would always 
carry his glove and a ball and bat with him wherever he went. One 
teacher commented that she saw him carrying his gear so much that she 
was going to start calling him ``Babe'' after Babe Ruth. She did and 
the name stuck.
  Davis received a baseball scholarship to attend Brewton-Parker 
Institute before he had completed the 11th grade and following his 
success pitching at Nicholls High School. He struck out 23 batters in 
one game at Brewton-Parker.
  Davis signed his first professional contract with the Cleveland 
Indians in 1934, making $250 per month for their farm team. During his 
7-year professional baseball career, the Cincinnati Redlegs and the 
Toronto Maple Leafs picked up his contract.
  Davis' career began to wind down when he injured his arm during a 
one-hitter he pitched for Toronto against Rochester in 1937. After 
playing for teams in Jacksonville, FL, and Valdosta, GA, Davis gave up 
the game for good. While starting another career with the Georgia 
Department of Revenue, Davis kept his love for the game alive. For the 
last 25 years, he has been spearheading ``Babe's Mighty Mites,'' a 
children's baseball instructional program that touches the lives of 320 
youngsters in Odum.
  Babe Davis epitomizes the love and dedication of the people of the 
First District of Georgia. We are all proud to have him as a neighbor 
and a friend. He crossed paths with some of baseball's all-time greats. 
And while his professional baseball career may have been short-lived, 
Davis' enthusiasm for the sport has not. Just ask 320 children in Odum, 
GA.

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