[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 135 (Thursday, October 7, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2055-E2056]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO RICHARD MIZE, A TRUE COMPETITOR

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                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 7, 1999

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I take this 
moment to recognize a man who has proven himself as one of the most 
successful mountaineers of our time. This man, who is now 63, is still 
competing and winning. He is a dedicated individual whose hard work 
deserves to be honored.
  Richard Mize has always had a love for skiing. At Western State 
College in Gunnison, Colorado he took advantage of every opportunity to 
go skiing. It paid off when he was awarded the 1956 Don Johnson 
Memorial trophy, which is given to the outstanding American skier in 
the NCAA cross country championships. He also became a two time, All-
American cross country skier. Since college, Richard has gone on to 
accomplish feats that are equally, if not more, impressive. He competed 
in the World Biathlon Championship in 1958 and 1959. Also, in 1960 he 
earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Biathlon Team, where he placed 21st 
in the inaugural year of

[[Page E2056]]

the event in the Olympics. Since 1983, Richard Mize has competed on the 
Masters Circuit and, in every year since 1988 he has earned at least 
one first place finish in the U.S. Masters Division. In 1988, at the 
World and U.S. Championships in Lake Placid, New York he won the World 
Championship in the 20K freestyle and 10K classic races. As you can 
see, this man is a fierce competitor--his accolades however, do not 
stop there. Richard has won his age group seven times in the last nine 
years at the Tour of Anchorage 50K Freestyle competition.
  Mr. Speaker, there are few people in our time that have accomplished 
so many amazing feats. Richard has done this and he has continued to do 
this well into his later years. So it is with this that I say 
congratulations to this man on his induction into the Mountaineer 
Sports Hall of Fame.

          CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF MURIEL DARLENE GIST WINGATE

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                          HON. JULIAN C. DIXON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 7, 1999

  Mr. DIXON. Mr. Speaker, today I want to recognize and celebrate the 
life of Muriel Darlene Gist Wingate, a wonderful and loving mother and 
grandmother, who for more than 25 years served with distinction as a 
loyal and outstanding assistant to internationally acclaimed Howard 
University Hospital oncologist and general surgeon Dr. LaSalle D. 
Leffall, Jr.
  Muriel, or ``Meme'' as she was affectionately known to her family and 
many friends, passed away on Tuesday, June 8, 1999. Kind, patient, and 
always ready with a reassuring word, Muriel was the person to whom 
hundreds of Dr. Leffall's patients turned in times of difficulty. She 
was the glue that helped many of them hold sway while dealing with 
troubling medical diagnoses.
  For the hundreds of residents and medical students who secured a 
coveted spot on Dr. Leffall's rotation, she was the surrogate mother, 
the woman who provided constant encouragement and assurance that with 
determination, perseverance, stamina, and the same trademark sense of 
humor which had endeared her to so many and helped her too during 
periods of difficulty, they would indeed make it through their medical 
school and/or surgical residency program. As a show of how much she was 
loved, many of the young doctors and medical students whom she 
supervised while working with Dr. Leffall, returned to pay their 
respects at the service celebrating her life, which was held on 
Thursday, June 17, 1999, at Hemingway Memorial A.M.E. Church in Chapel 
Oaks, Maryland.
  ``Miss Wingate,'' as she was respectfully and fondly known to so many 
of Dr. Leffall's patients, was born in Washington, D.C., on November 
11, 1941, to Ruby N. Gist and the late Sherwood Gist. She graduated 
from Fairmont Heights High School in 1959 and set course on a career in 
the field of health care. She loved to travel to exotic places, and 
often regaled others with stories about her adventures. She had a smile 
that simply illuminated the room, and an eternally optimistic outlook 
that would become an important and essential asset in her work with Dr. 
Leffall's patients.
  Muriel Darlene Gist Wingate was beloved by many, but cherished most 
of all by her lovely daughters, Joy Arminta Diggs and Kelly Lynn 
Wingate, and granddaughter, Camille Nicole Wingate. Her untimely 
passing also leaves to mourn her loving mother, Mrs. Ruby N. Gist; 
three sisters: Shirley A. Courtney, Elaine T. Johnson, and Janiero L. 
Dougans; three brothers: Dennis, Milton, and Gregory, and a host of 
other relatives.
  Mr. Speaker, to have the love, admiration, and respect of your 
family, friends, and colleagues, is, I believe the ultimate measure of 
success. Muriel Wingate was blessed with all of these. I am proud to 
have the occasion to celebrate her memory with my colleagues, and ask 
that you join me in extending our heartfelt condolences to her family, 
friends, and colleagues on the passing of a truly exceptional woman.

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