[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 96 (Friday, July 21, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1297]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1297]]
                         TRIBUTE TO M.T. PHELPS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB ETHERIDGE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 20, 2000

  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to take a moment to recognize 
one of my constituents, Mr. M.T. Phelps, who will be turning 100 years 
old next month. Born on August 9, 1900 in the hills of Columbus, 
Georgia, Mr. Phelps has lived exactly the sort of simple, yet 
exceptional life that most of us desire.
  Mr. Phelps met his future wife, Allene Rickman, at church as a young 
man and soon married her on March 12, 1927. After working several years 
in the sunshine of Florida, Mr. Phelps moved to my district in 1933 
when he came to Lillington to take a position as Superintendent of 
Rickman Brick. Mr. and Mrs. Phelps were soon blessed with the births of 
three lovely children, Mary Ann, Marion ``Rick'' and Emily Francis, 
whom they supported in all their academic and athletic endeavors. 
Throughout it all, Mr. Phelps not only successfully fulfilled his role 
as an outstanding husband and father, but also as a diligent and 
dedicated worker at the Rickman Brick company, Womble's General Store, 
and finally O'Quinn and O'Quinn's Funeral Home. In fact, Mr. Phelps 
remained at O'Quinn's until his much-deserved retirement at the ripe 
old age of 85.
  In addition to his numerous responsibilities at home and in the 
workplace, Mr. Phelps has also discovered time for himself and his 
community. In an ideal example of civic-minded selflessness, Mr. Phelps 
for years has allowed the local Kiwanis organization to use his home as 
the site for their annual Halloween haunted house. Mr. Phelps has been 
a Mason since the 1930s and was a supporter of the old Lillington High 
School Booster Club. Finally, Mr. Phelps, as a conservationist, has 
always loved nature and enjoyed the simple pleasures associated with 
the land. His reputation as a hunter and a trainer of good hunting dogs 
has preceded him throughout our community.
  Although we are marking the occasion of his 100th birthday tonight, 
this is a tribute we could provide Mr. Phelps on any day. I am truly 
privileged to represent people like M.T. Phelps in this United States 
Congress. M.T. Phelps is a good worker, a good husband, a good father, 
a good citizen, and, above all, a good man.

                          ____________________