[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 165 (Friday, November 19, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2513]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO BRANDI NICHOLE GASKEY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 1999

  Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, one of the best students in my district, 
Brandi Nichole Gaskey, has just graduated from Farragut High School.
  She has had an amazing four years in high school. She was a member of 
the National Honor Society all four years, and she was also President 
of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes her junior and senior year.
  Brandi was also involved in sports at Farragut and was voted most 
athletic, as well.
  Mr. Speaker, recently Brandi Gaskey was asked to give the 
commencement address at Farragut High School. I have attached a copy of 
her remarks that I would like to call to the attention of my colleagues 
and other readers of the Record.

             Hope Through Character 1999 Graduation Address

                       (By Brandi Nichole Gaskey)

       Mr. Superintendent, friends, family, distinguished guests, 
     faculty, and fellow graduates of the last class of the 
     century. I stand before you tonight filled with excitement as 
     I welcome you to the 1999 Farragut High School Graduation 
     Ceremony. As we have come to the end of our formal education, 
     to for some of us a miraculous occasion, the question was 
     asked ``Does character count?'' Although I could not think of 
     one word to define character, I respond with an enthusiastic 
     YES, character does count. I counts for you and me and every 
     person we will ever come in contact with. It counts in a big 
     way through the small things we do or say every day. 
     Character is who you are in the dark, when no one is looking. 
     It's what's on the inside, the gutsy stuff you're made of 
     that no one knows about, but one day every one will see. My 
     pastor, Doug Sager, once said, ``your character is your set 
     of values that are non negotiable. It's the quality of life 
     given to you by God to say what is right and to stand up for 
     it.'' For you see, your character can either make you or 
     break you because everyone has character, it's just a matter 
     of how you choose to develop it. For example, two students at 
     Columbine High School had the character to kill their fellow 
     classmates, while other students at Columbine High School had 
     the character to stand up for their faith no matter what the 
     cost. So I'd like to share with you today how to develop your 
     character, and exactly why it does count. Moris Mandel tells 
     a story of how the forming of our character is like the 
     forming of an icicle. He concludes that an icicle forms one 
     drop at a time until it is about one foot or two long. If the 
     water was clear, the icicle remains clear and sparkles like 
     diamonds. If the water was muddy, the icicle looks foul and 
     its beauty is spoiled. Just so, our characters are forming 
     one little thought at a time, one little action at a time. In 
     the Bible, in Romans 5:3-4, it states, ``Trials make 
     perseverance, perseverance our character, and that character 
     produces hope.'' Helen Keller also stated, ``Character cannot 
     be developed in ease and quiet, it is only through 
     experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be 
     strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success 
     achieved.'' Your character is seen and developed through the 
     hard times of life. So I'd like for you to think of an 
     experience that has helped shape your character. I thought 
     about my basketball team, and how Romans 5:3-4 applied to us 
     in so many ways. We had faced so many trials, from a 
     freshman, sophomore, and junior season all with losing 
     records. I thought of countless hours of practice and endless 
     preseason track workouts and sitting in the teamroom after a 
     loss and doing nothing but crying. But those trials taught us 
     perseverance, and we produced character, and that character 
     gave us hope. Hope for this year in which we proudly finished 
     with a winning record of 16-12. Or think of someone you know 
     who has an extreme amount of character. It may be someone who 
     loses their wife and daughter, but still lives life in the 
     best way he can, or someone who works so hard and only makes 
     enough money to feed his/her family. Or someone who fails so 
     many times but keeps on trying and trying again and no one 
     knows how bad they've hurt or hard they've worked. It's 
     studying so hard for an AP Latin test, a math final, or an 
     English exam to realize you make a D, so the next time you 
     study so much harder and finally make the A. Character is all 
     these things. It is formed when you realize you're at your 
     lowest, but hey, you gotta keep on going. So I'd like to 
     challenge you class of 1999 to see each trial you will face 
     as an opportunity to produce and reveal your character. All 
     of these things will ``strengthen your soul, clear your 
     vision, inspire your ambition, and you will achieve success'' 
     (Helen Keller). Just like the Bible says, your character 
     produces hope. Hope through God that we will make a 
     difference, hope that we are going to be the best future 
     leaders, parents, teachers, ministers, and merchants in the 
     history of our nation, hope that what we do matters, and hope 
     that our character will count informing a better tomorrow. So 
     be the people of character you are called to be and work 
     daily on strengthening your soul and developing your inner 
     spirit. Margot Isobel once said something that reveals the 
     importance of your true heart and true character. She said, 
     ``I think t'would be lovely to live and do good, to grow up 
     to be the girl that I should. A heart full of sunshine and a 
     life full of grace are beauty far better than beauty of face. 
     I think t'would be lovely to make people glad, to cheer up 
     the lonely, discouraged, and sad. What matter if homely or 
     pleasant to see, if lovely in spirit I'm striving to be.'' So 
     you see your character can make a difference in the lives of 
     others. It's what's on the inside, your inner spirit, it's 
     what you've developed these last 17 or 18 years, what you've 
     persevered through at home and at school, it's your character 
     that counts, and yes, character is essential. So let God 
     guide you through your trials you will face in college, your 
     career, your marriage, and as a parent, and let those 
     ``trials make perseverance, perseverance your character, and 
     let character produce in you hope'' (Romans 5:3-4). So I'd 
     like to congratulate you class of 1999. We made it and we 
     finished the ride successfully, but I'd like to leave you 
     with the words of Abraham Lincoln. He said, ``Fame is a 
     vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only 
     one thing endures forever and that is your character.'' Thank 
     you.

     

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