[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 78 (Tuesday, June 20, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1057]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE 100TH BIRTHDAY Of SAMUEL R. BACON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART GORDON

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 20, 2000

  Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, today I wish a happy 100th birthday to 
Samuel R. Bacon of Cookeville, Tennessee. Mr. Bacon is a remarkable man 
who has lived a successful and rewarding life. He will turn 100 on July 
1, 2000.
  Reared on a dairy farm just outside of Baltimore, Maryland, Mr. Bacon 
graduated from the University of Maryland and went to work as a soil 
scientist. He eventually went to work for the United States Department 
of Agriculture and traveled the entire nation putting his experience 
and abilities to good use for a number of communities. After 35 years 
at the USDA, Mr. Bacon went into business distributing key chains, 
small tools and the like to about 400 stores. At the age of 91, he 
finally retired from that second career.
  Mr. Bacon and his wife, Reba, now deceased, shared their good fortune 
with the Cookeville area throughout the years. They contributed to more 
than 30 charities, and through Mr. Bacon's support, Reba was able to 
establish an art league in Cookeville. Thanks to the generosity and 
support of the Bacons, the Cumberland Art Society has flourished into 
an integral part of the community. Always wanting to help his 
community, Mr. Bacon delivered Meals on Wheels to the elderly and 
disabled until he was 98.
  An example of this man's extraordinary fortitude was the time he 
walked, at the age of 74, from Lebanon, Tennessee, to Monterey, 
Tennessee, a distance of nearly 70 miles. Asked why he wanted to walk 
such a distance at that age, Bacon replied, ``I just wanted to see if I 
could do it.'' I congratulate Mr. Bacon for his tremendous 
contributions to the country and to his fellow man.

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