[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 50 (Thursday, April 24, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H1800]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO BRANDON K. SEARCY

  (Mr. LEWIS of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the citizens 
of Atlanta to mourn the loss and celebrate the life of Brandon Searcy. 
Brandon Searcy was just 8 years old. He was the victim of a senseless 
and hideous crime.
  Mr. Speaker, what kind of world do we live in when an 8-year-old 
child is stalked and preyed upon, when it is no longer safe for a child 
to walk a block to a school bus stop?
  Brandon Searcy was a special child, a gifted child. He was the light 
and the joy of his mother Kimala Searcy. He loved school and he loved 
the Lord, and he was dedicated to both.
  Brandon was a member of the First Norman Grove Baptist Church in 
Scottsdale, GA. He often took notes during the pastor's sermons, and he 
and sister, Algerica, would sing with joy their favorite song, ``Shake 
the Devil Off.''
  Brandon was a second grade student at Cleveland Avenue Elementary 
School where he excelled as an honor student on the principal's list. 
He loved to play baseball and his ambition was to go to college and 
then become a professional baseball player.
  Mr. Speaker, Brandon Searcy's favorite passage from the Bible was the 
23d Psalm. It reads in part, ``Surely goodness and mercy shall follow 
me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord 
forever.''
  Brandon Searcy, Mr. Speaker, will surely dwell in the house of the 
Lord forever. He will be remembered and he will be missed by all who 
knew him and many who never had the good fortune. God bless Brandon 
Searcy.

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