[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 5 (Tuesday, February 3, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E79]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO ODESSA E. TEVIS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 3, 1998

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I once heard beauty described as ``unity 
in variety.'' In considering our American people, that definition could 
easily be expanded to describe the beauty of America--a nation of 
people gathered from a diversity of backgrounds united in their belief 
in the freedom of all human beings and their deep love for the country 
that protects those freedoms.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce you to an exemplary American, 
and a good friend, Odessa E. Tevis. Odessa is being honored on Sunday, 
February 1, 1998 by the Tarpon Springs Historical Society and by the 
community, for her 25 years of volunteerism in this area.
  Born in St. Louis, Missouri on November 27, 1908, Odessa, like so 
many children during wartime and a troubled economy, moved several 
times during her childhood. Having moved from Missouri to Chicago to 
Iowa then back to Chicago, Odessa graduated from High School and then 
junior college. On the last day of 1931, she married her high school 
sweetheart, Harry Tevis. Harry worked for the Illinois Bell Telephone 
Company, and for the next eighteen years, every promotion meant yet 
another move to another city in Illinois.
  There was one interruption--WWII--and Harry had orders to go 
overseas. But, before he left, he helped Odessa find a job at the Atlas 
Educational Film Company in Oak Park, II where she worked on scripts 
and even did a little acting when needed.
  Having made several trips to this area over the years, when Harry 
retired in 1973, they decided the Florida Suncoast was where they 
wanted to live. The two cars and camper were barely unpacked when 
Odessa began making the community her own. Within a year her beloved 
Harry had passed away and Odessa filled those open hours by helping 
others. If someone needed a ride to the doctor or the hospital, or 
needed medication; or a friend to stay through an extended illness or 
watch a child--Odessa was there. Even today, at 89 years of age, her 
days are divided between at least two projects such as volunteering at 
an eye care clinic and a local museum. When asked why she does so much, 
she chuckles and matter-of-factly replies, ``might as well''!
  Her 25 years of involvement in many organizations, including the 
Women's Club of Tarpon Springs, the New Port Richey Garden Club, the 
Tarpon Springs Garden Club, the Friends of the Library, the Republican 
Women's Club of Tarpon Springs, and the Tarpon Springs Historical 
Society, to name a few, has endeared her to the community. Her 
involvement in projects for the last quarter century has resulted in 
countless improvements in the community and benefited many, many 
residents indeed.
  Because of her energy and her example, Odessa has the ability to 
gather people from diverse backgrounds and unify them by a common goal 
. . . and has therefore made a beautiful difference in our community. 
Mr. Speaker, I am very proud to join my community members and the 
Tarpon Springs Historical Society in honoring our own Odessa E. Tevis 
as an exemplary American volunteer.

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