[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 47 (Tuesday, April 3, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S3337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          IN RECOGNITION OF MRS. ARBELIA GREER PENNINGTON WOOD

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I am delighted to rise today to 
acknowledge and congratulate Mrs. Arbelia Greer Pennington Wood, a 
resident from my home State of Michigan, who will be celebrating her 
116th birthday on Friday, April 6, 2001.
  The child of a sharecropper, Mrs. Wood, who is affectionately called 
``Ma'' by her nephews and nieces, was born in Caledonia, MS in 1885. 
Raised in Alabama, she moved to Detroit in 1934. Throughout her life, 
she has been guided by devotion to her family and a deep and abiding 
faith. Though widowed twice, Mrs. Wood has never been alone. She has 
been actively involved in the lives of her extended family, which 
includes not only her nieces and nephews, but also children in her 
neighborhood. Family members and friends have all commented on her 
cooking abilities and her ability to teach families about cooking, 
grammar and even carpentry.
  In addition to a multitude of nephews and nieces, Mrs. Wood has been 
blessed to be part of a family noted for its longevity. Her mother 
lived to be ninety-three years old. A brother of hers lived to be 
eighty-nine, and many of her younger siblings are currently in their 
eighties and nineties. One of her nieces has designed a website 
dedicated to her beloved ``Ma.'' On that website is posted a verse from 
the Book of Genesis: ``Sarah lived to be 127 years old.'' I cannot help 
but think that this verse has not only been an inspiration but also a 
challenge to Ardelia's family.
  Mrs. Wood has seen the turn of two centuries. She has also displayed 
immense courage throughout her life. Twice she has successfully battled 
breast cancer. In addition, she has participated as a civil rights 
activist. As a child, Mrs. Woods refused to take the advice of her 
white doctors to identify herself as being Caucasian. Later in life, 
she demanded that a Mt. Clemens, MI restaurant serve herself and her 
darker skinned husband whom they were denying service. The restaurant 
eventually relented. Arbelia has witnessed the many changes that have 
affected our society. By caring for her family, actively participating 
in her church and serving as a midwife, Arbelia Greer Pennington Wood 
has quietly worked to make this country a better place. Such daily acts 
of commitment and civic duty are the foundation upon which this nation 
is built.
  Mrs. Arbelia Greer Pennington Wood can take pride on the occasion of 
her 116th birthday. I am honored to join her family in wishing her a 
blessed and happy birthday. I hope my Senate colleagues will join me in 
congratulating Mrs. Arbelia Greer Pennington Wood.

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