[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 119 (Thursday, September 10, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S10217]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATIONS TO SEARCHLIGHT'S WOMAN OF THE DECADE, MRS. VERLIE DOING

 Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Mrs. 
Verlie Doing, an outstanding woman who will receive a distinguished 
honor when she is named Searchlight, Nevada's, Woman of the Decade in 
October. This particular tribute is one I hold especially dear, as it 
is being given to a woman who has helped make my hometown the unique 
community it is today.
  Founded by those in search of gold, Searchlight began as a mining 
town. It is a strangely quiet place, not really mentioned in the tales 
of Nevada history. However, this is my home, and Verlie Doing has 
helped to establish it as a beating heart in the once silent land found 
south of Las Vegas.
  Mrs. Doing relocated to Searchlight with her husband, Warren, in 
1967. Since that time, she has been active in organizing community 
activities as well as providing employment for the majority of families 
living in the area. Upon settling in Searchlight, Mrs. Doing assumed a 
position on the Searchlight Town Advisory Board and began her legacy of 
work. She is an original member of the town's Emergency Medical 
Treatment team, as well as the Searchlight Museum Guild. She has served 
on the Clark County Parks and Recreation Board since 1970, establishing 
areas for children and adults alike to not only enjoy the many 
splendors of Nevada's scenery, but to partake of beneficial recreation 
programs.
  As a member of the Parks and Recreation Board, Verlie has seen first 
hand the need for centers where people can participate in community 
activities. For this reason, she and her husband donated to the city 
the land for the Searchlight Senior Citizen Center. Currently, this 
center offers seniors an opportunity to socialize and continue their 
education through arts and crafts and exercise. Day care and food 
programs are among the most important offered at the center and provide 
assistance to those seniors who may otherwise be institutionalized.
  Not only has Mrs. Doing been energetically involved in community 
activities, she has also helped to foster Searchlight's business 
community. Currently, Mrs. Doing is serving as the sole owner of the 
Searchlight Nugget Casino, the largest employer in the city. 
Established in 1979, the Nugget has increased not only employment, but 
has aided in boosting the economy. She has employed hundreds of 
Searchlight residents, providing many families with incomes where, 
without the casino, there would be none. It is this entrepreneurial 
spirit that has brought vitality into both the business community and 
the entire town.
  Most of all, my family and I have been friends of Verlie, her late 
husband, Warren, and their son, Riley, for more than thirty years. The 
Doings have made not only Searchlight a better place, but Nevada and 
our great country as well.
  I commend Verlie on her significant contributions to my hometown. 
Without her enthusiasm, energy and love for her home, Searchlight would 
be much less. It is for these reasons that I proudly support the 
decision of the Searchlight Celebration Committee in their selection of 
Mrs. Verlie Doing as Searchlight's Woman of the Decade.

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