[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 6, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E124-E125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


CONGRATULATING GENE BESS, COACH OF THREE RIVERS COMMUNITY COLLEGE MEN'S 
  BASKETBALL, ON HIS 880TH WIN AND FOR BEING THE WINNINGEST COACH IN 
                       JUNIOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JO ANN EMERSON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 6, 2001

  Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, Vince Lombardi once said, ``Leadership 
rests not only upon ability, not only upon capacity; having the 
capacity to lead is not enough. The

[[Page E125]]

leader must be willing to use it. His leadership is then based on truth 
and character. There must be truth in the purpose and will power in the 
character.''
  While Vince Lombardi coached football, the same thoughts regarding 
his life and leadership can be applied to Coach Gene Bess of Three 
Rivers Community College. As a coach for Three Rivers, Gene has had 
amazing career that has spanned three decades. During that time, he has 
proven that a true leader leads not simply with words, but through 
example. Without a doubt, Gene Bess has lived his life--on and off the 
court--as an example of what many of us strive to achieve in life.
  Now, Gene stands on the threshold of a remarkable accomplishment. 
This month, Gene will set a record that only few in coaching have 
reached when he secures his 880th win as the coach of the Three Rivers 
Community College Men's Basketball Team. No longer will he be exactly 
like the 212 other coaches in the National JC Athletic Association 
Division I. Sure, like those coaches and the others who influence the 
lives of their players day in and day out, he will place a whistle 
around his neck, don a pair of athletic shoes, and stand on the 
sidelines coaching and cheering his players on to victory. But unlike 
those coaches, his hard work, determination, and dedication to being a 
positive influence in the lives of his players, has placed him in a 
special class that is set aside for coaches like John Wooden, Mike 
Krzyzewski, Dean Smith and Mizzou's own Norm Stewart.
  The leadership and dedication that Gene Bess demonstrates on the 
court does not end at the final buzzer. Instead, it translates into his 
personal and public life. He has been married for nearly 40 years and 
is a deacon at First Baptist Church of Poplar Bluff where he has 
attended Sunday Service in service to God for 30 years. He still lives 
on his same street--Sunset Avenue--that he has jogged nearly every 
morning for more than two decades. And most of all, he has an 
unwavering code that he lives by which reflects his common sense, nose 
to the grindstone attitude. As Tony Jimenez noted in the Juco Report, 
``Basketball is not number one in his life, in or out of the season, he 
puts faith first, family second, and the game third. ''
  In a society where it oftentimes seems so difficult to find heroes, I 
am honored and privileged to have a man who exemplified the character 
of a leader, right here in our own community. Gene Bess is that type of 
a man. He is a man of purpose who has a way of understanding that 
people, when working together--on the court, in their church or in 
their community--can have a positive and memorable impact on the lives 
of each and everyone they meet throughout the journey of life.
  As the same article by Tony Jimenez mentions, Gene Bess has a 
reputation for winning that is build on a foundation of leadership, 
truth, and respect for all those who work with him. Jimenez stated, 
``What has bode well for Bess' reputation is his unwillingness to bend 
to give certain issues when it comes to his team and the players. He 
doesn't swear. He doesn't just talk about an open door policy, the 
players know that his door is always open. He treats his players with 
the respect all coaches talk about, but not all of them follow through 
on. He carries himself with the aura of a major college coach, but he 
is just as a accessible, honest and down to earth as, well, a juco 
coach in a small town in Missouri.''
  It's often been said that success is not measured by great wealth or 
material treasures. Instead, success is measured on the person you are, 
the life you live, and how your life influences the lives of others. If 
that is true, and I believe that it is, then we are all richer for 
knowing Gene Bess. Mr. Speaker, on this very special occasion, I ask 
that all of my colleagues join me in congratulating Coach Bess and the 
Three Rivers Raiders on this milestone and wish them every happiness 
for the future. Thank you.

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