[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 73 (Thursday, May 24, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E930]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO CHARLES NEWTON COOK OF HOLLYWOOD, ALABAMA

                                 ______
                                 

                    HON. ROBERT E. (BUD) CRAMER, JR.

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 24, 2001

  Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to pay 
tribute to the long and fruitful life of Mr. Charley Cook, of 
Hollywood, Alabama, an extraordinary man whose one hundred and five 
years have been marked by his love of country, family and God.
  Mr. Cook was born in Hollywood, Alabama on May 28, 1896. When he was 
21, he volunteered for the Navy and served in the Navy during World War 
I until 1919 making three trips to French waters. He is believed to be 
the last living WWI Veteran in Alabama. Mr. Cook also served on the 
Battleship Utah, which the Japanese sunk at Pearl Harbor.
  Mr. Cook's life reads like a chronicle of this nation's history. He 
has witnessed Babe Ruth hit his legendary home runs from Yankee Stadium 
and been in the audience of a vaudeville show starring Eddie Cantor and 
George Burns. When he finished his service time, he returned to 
Hollywood, Alabama maintaining his garden until 1995. He voluntarily 
quit driving at age 99.
  I would like to enclose words from his ``Armed Guard Detail'' 
certificate, ``Members of the Armed Guards . . . may well be proud of 
this duty. The efficient and courageous performance of this duty, 
replete with successful encounters with hostile submarines, will insure 
its indelible inscription in the history of the United States Navy.'' 
We can never afford to forget the victories and sacrifices of Mr. 
Cook's generation lest we take for granted the precious freedoms we 
enjoy every minute of every day.
  On behalf of the people of Alabama's Fifth Congressional District, I 
join them in celebrating the extraordinary life of this brave soldier. 
I send him and his family my best wishes on this special birthday 
reception this Sunday at the Veterans Hall in Scottsboro. I wish Mr. 
Cook a happy and healthy 105th year.

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