[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 30, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1957]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MARTHA BERRY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BOB BARR

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 30, 2001

  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, Martha Berry was born on October 7, 
1866, at Oak Hill, the home of her parents, Captain and Mrs. Thomas 
Berry. Oak Hill, a Southern plantation, is located in the North Georgia 
Hills, near Rome. Even as a child, Martha Berry expressed a keen 
interest in the less fortunate children of the surrounding region.
  On a Sunday afternoon in the late 1800s, Martha was in her log cabin 
playhouse when she heard voices of children outside. To her surprise, 
she saw three small boys in ragged clothes, peeking through the cabin 
doorway. She invited them in for apples and cookies and asked if they 
had been to Sunday school. Once she learned they had no Sunday school 
to attend, she began telling them stories from the Bible. When they 
left, she invited them to return the following Sunday and to bring 
someone with them. They returned the following weeks, bringing their 
mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, other relatives, and friends. The 
cabin soon became too small for the crowds Martha was attracting, and 
Sunday school was moved to an abandoned church at Possum Trot.
  The desire to learn expressed by these mountain people inspired Ms. 
Berry as she grew and matured. She once noted, ``Every human being, 
regardless of economic circumstances, has a right to become the best 
that he or she is capable of becoming.''
  Consistent with her love for education and her fellow man, but 
against the advice of family and friends, Martha Berry deeded the 
property her father had given to her to be used for a school for boys. 
On January 13, 1902 Martha Berry opened her boarding school, 
constructed from her personal funds. Local residents speak of Ms. Berry 
traveling by buggy around the countryside seeking funds and land for 
her school. To meet the growing needs, she traveled throughout the 
United States and abroad in an effort to raise funds. Andrew Carnegie 
promised her $50.000 for an endowment if she could match it, and she 
did. Theodore Roosevelt gave a dinner party for her at the White House, 
at which he introduced her to many influential friends, who contributed 
to the school for many years. It was President Teddy Roosevelt who 
suggested she start a similar school for girls; she did, and it opened 
on Thanksgiving Day 1909.
  In 1926, Ms. Berry opened a Junior College at Mount Berry. In 1932 
she presented diplomas to her first class of four-year college seniors. 
By then, Martha Berry was 65 years old. With the depression of the 
30's, Berry had a waiting list of 5,000 young people eager to attend 
her school. Ms. Berry knew they must create new work and offer more 
young people a chance for an education. She continued to travel widely, 
capturing the interest of some of the nation's most prominent citizens. 
Henry Ford donated to Berry a magnificent Gothic stone building complex 
with dormitories, dining room, gymnasium, and recitation hall, for the 
girls area. To her original 83 acres of land, she had added 30,000 
additional acres and led her students in planting 25,000 acres of pine 
trees. She once said, ``Beauty has an important place in education. 
Young people should lift their eyes to spires, to hill tops, to God and 
say, ``Thank God for worthwhile work to do.'' When visiting the Berry 
Campus, one will note the many spires on dormitories, chapels, and even 
on the dairy barns. The campus of Berry College is one of the most 
beautiful in the country.
  Ms. Berry, who died in 1942, was extremely proud of the fact Berry 
had become one of the nation's most successful educational experiments; 
combining academic study, student work, and interdenominational 
Christian religious emphasis. Today Berry is a model for many 
institutions in the United States and abroad. Berry offers work 
experience as part of every student's development. Approximately 85 to 
90 percent of the students are employed on campus, in 120 job 
classifications. The most recent U.S. News & World Report college 
rankings for 2002, place Berry number one among comprehensive colleges 
in the South. Berry also ranked fourth in the ``best value'' ranking of 
the region's comprehensive colleges.
  Berry's first students gave of their time and energy, literally 
creating the materials and constructing the buildings and roads on the 
campus. This tradition has continued through the years. Berry alumni 
return each May for a week of service and work on campus. On October 6, 
2001, the 135th anniversary of Martha Berry's birth was celebrated at 
this year's Mountain Day, an annual event.
  The 100th Anniversary of Berry College will fall on a Sunday in 
January 2002. Martha Berry was a crusader in the field of education, 
and Berry College was her greatest academic endeavor. She received many 
honorary degrees, numerous humanitarian and achievement awards, a 
Patriotic Service Medal, and the Roosevelt Medal for Service to the 
Nation. However, her true legacy is seen in each and every student who 
graduates from Berry College, prepared to meet the challenges of life 
with a strong academic and spiritual foundation.

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