[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 155 (Friday, November 7, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2195]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        PROUD OF EAST TENNESSEE

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                        HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 5, 1997

  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, I have lived in east Tennessee all my life. 
It is one of the most beautiful parts of our country, but what makes it 
really special is the people who live there.
  We now have many thousands of wonderful people who have moved in from 
other parts of Tennessee, other States, and even many from other 
countries. Most of them love east Tennessee, too.
  But I have to say that to me, native east Tennesseans are pretty 
special, unique people. Our part of the country was settled primarily 
by poor Scotch-Irish mountain farmers.
  They and their descendants have always been proud, thrifty, hard-
working, neighborly kind of people.
  They have always been fiercely patriotic in time of war, but fiercely 
independent in times of peace. They have never really liked big 
government or having distant bureaucrats tell them what to do.
  Maybe it has something to do with a heritage of moonshine whiskey, 
but they have never cared much for Federal revenue agents, and I once 
was told that the Federal court for east Tennessee had the lowest 
conviction rate in IRS cases in the entire country.
  For many years I have been teased about my east Tennessee accent. 
Sometimes people have called us hicks and hillbillies. Once, when I was 
in college, a man in New York said to me in much amazement: ``Your're 
from Tennessse, and you're wearing shoes?''
  Perhaps because we have been teased and ridiculed and made fun of, we 
have been a little defensive at times. But I also think this has made 
us a little bit more loyal to each other.
  At any rate, we have now become a secret that has been discovered. 
East Tennessee has become one of the most popular places to move to in 
the whole country.
  Invariably, the people who have moved in tell that it was not only 
the beauty of our area that attracts them, but also the kindness of the 
people, their friendliness, their honesty, their work ethic, and so on.
  I could say much more, because I am very proud of east Tennessee. It 
is home to me. It means family and friends and everything that is 
important and good to me.
  I am just a visitor in Washington and even if someday I had to move 
to another part of our great Nation on a full-time basis, I would still 
tell people I was from east Tennessee.
  I could go on and on, but what really prompted all this was a letter 
I read today in the Knoxville News-Sentinel from one of my 
constituents, and friend, John Mark Hancock.
  In this letter, Mark, a seventh-generation east Tennessean, expresses 
far better than I have some of the great things about living where we 
do.
  Because I was so touched by what he wrote, I wanted to call it to the 
attention of my colleagues and other readers of the Record.

       Editor, the News-Sentinel: I am blessed. As a seventh-
     generation native East Tennessean on both sides of my family, 
     I am truly blessed for having had the opportunity to live and 
     grow up in this area.
       Many times in life we find ourselves chasing after things 
     that are fleeting in both our personal and professional 
     relationships, namely love and money.
       In doing so, we take for granted all the little things that 
     are so much more important--like walking, talking, seeing, 
     hearing, touching, smelling and moving about this wonderful 
     region of our planet.
       I had the distinct pleasure and the wonderful opportunity 
     to take my 3-year-old niece, Katie, to the Museum of 
     Appalachia's Fall Homecoming this year.
       As most of us know, it is a celebration of the fierce 
     determination and independence of our ancestors who settled 
     this area. It was satisfying to see the wonderment in the 
     eyes of a new generation as we enjoyed the day together.
       Listening to the strains of ``Orange Blossom Special'' 
     wafting over the serene countryside, having traveled and 
     lived all over the United States, I got a tear in my eye and 
     a lump in my throat.
       My heart and soul filled with pride upon hearing those 
     sweet melodious tunes. They are from deep within our culture, 
     and we should never forget what they mean to us.
       That same weekend, I was privileged to witness another big 
     University of Tennessee Volunteer football victory at the 
     largest stadium in America. The pride in excellence of 
     achievement, both athletically and academically, that my alma 
     mater represents, is another part of our tremendous heritage.
       The next day, I attended the harvest celebration at 
     Dollywood and was again reminded of the bluegrass and gospel 
     music that was born in these hills, mountains and valleys. 
     Lyrics from ``Will the Circle be Unbroken?'' and ``Wildwood 
     Flower'' pierced the crisp air.
       It is truly a time for thanksgiving and prayerful 
     reflection to know that there are some things in life that 
     money cannot buy, like peace of mind and security. We race 
     through life so rapidly oftentimes that we don't give 
     ourselves the chance to take inventory.
       The lessons our forefathers taught us in not ever giving up 
     our faith in God and in ourselves are ones to be cherished 
     and preserved.
       In trusting love more than fear, we can love both ourselves 
     and our neighbors. The people who settled this land knew what 
     a great legacy they were leaving to us. The great English 
     bard, Shakespeare, said that love looks with the heart and 
     not with the eyes.
       We must take to heart our beautiful ability to blend with 
     nature and fulfill the dreams of those who have gone before 
     us. Be appreciative of living and working in the richest area 
     of the world, rich in resources and lore, for this is worth 
     more than anything else.
       Living in East Tennessee, we are all truly blessed.
                                                John Mark Hancock,
                                                        Knoxville.

     

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