[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 50 (Thursday, April 27, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S3015]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CONGRATULATIONS TO MAYOR EMMA GRESHAM

 Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
one of the great civil servants of my state. On April 14, 2000, Mayor 
Emma Gresham of Keysville, Georgia, received an Essence Award from 
Essence Magazine for her outstanding service to the community. This 
award is a fitting tribute to a lady who has brought so much to her 
community and Georgia as a whole.
  Emma Gresham was born on April 13, 1925, the youngest of eight 
children. As the daughter of a pastor and a missionary, Emma Gresham's 
desire to help other people was established at a young age. During her 
youth she served as a scoutmaster, and went on to work as a teacher at 
her local church. All of her life Emma Gresham has sought to make other 
people's lives better.
  While Mrs. Gresham's commitment to the people of Keysville has 
existed for decades, the town of Keysville has not. Although the town 
had held a charter since 1890, it stopped having elections and 
essentially dissolved in 1933. In the mid-1980's the charter was 
rediscovered and found to be valid, and in 1985 the townspeople chose 
Emma Gresham as their mayor.
  Ms. Gresham enjoyed her position for less than a day because the 
charter was revoked due to concerns over the city's boundary. Following 
a drawn-out process that involved excavations to discover a long-lost 
landmark, the city's charter was reactivated and Ms. Gresham was 
elected again in 1988. Since taking office, Mrs. Gresham has served for 
free.
  Once in office, Mayor Gresham set to work. Since the town government 
had been dormant for so long, Keysville lacked many of the necessities 
most small towns enjoy. The city lacked clean water, streetlights, and 
even a fire department. In addition, the town's adult illiteracy rate 
was dangerously high.
  Today, thanks to Mayor Gresham's leadership and commitment, Keysville 
has a water tower and a fire station. The first street lights were 
recently installed, and the town started a medical clinic. Last, but 
certainly not least, Keysville has an established adult literacy 
program as well.
  The citizens of Keysville are now talking of building a new city hall 
and elementary school. This is quite a feat for a town that virtually 
did not exist twelve years ago.
  Now 75, Emma Gresham is likely to retire when her current term as 
mayor ends in 2002. We can only hope that her successor will follow in 
her footsteps and be as effective an advocate for Keysville as Mayor 
Gresham.
  Mr. President, the town of Keysville is certainly blessed. Without 
Emma Gresham's leadership, it is quite possible that it would not have 
made the strides that it has in the last decade. I offer my sincere 
congratulations to Mrs. Gresham for the award she earned through years 
of commitment to Keysville and its people, and wish continued success 
for her and the community she leads.

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