[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 169 (Friday, December 7, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S12679]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       Tribute to Chick Matthews

 Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
true American hero from my home State--Mr. Chick Matthews of 
Greenbrier, AR.
  Mr. Matthews was born on August 19, 1901, in a one-room house in 
Bailey Town, AR. Growing up in the most modest of circumstances, Mr. 
Matthews went on to a distinguished career of service to his country, 
serving in four wars in the twentieth century. Mr. Matthews served 
honorably in World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, either in 
the uniforms of the Army, the Navy, or the Merchant Marine. It is a 
service record that he can be proud of, and we are proud of him for it.
  In 1931, Mr. Matthews married Icie Lee, who served as a postal worker 
in Greenbrier and a postmistress in Wooster, AR. Icie Matthews passed 
away in 1999 after 68 years of marriage to Chick. She is deeply missed.
  Chick Matthews retired from the Merchant Marine in 1970, but since 
then he has stayed extremely busy. He has been around the world more 
than a dozen times. According to his count, Mr. Matthews has visited 
over 100 countries. This past summer, just before his one hundredth 
birthday, he traveled with his son James on a trip that took him to 18 
foreign countries.
  Today, Mr. Matthews leads an equally energetic lifestyle at home, 
tending to a one-acre garden and visiting frequently with his neighbors 
and friends at the Greenbrier Senior Citizen Center, where he regales 
his companions with tales of his adventures. We should all hope to 
maintain such a full and active schedule in our senior years.
  Through his service to his country, his love of family and community, 
his commitment to making the most of his life, Chick Matthews 
represents the most admirable qualities in the American spirit. In this 
new century, in these difficult times, when a new generation of young 
Americans is taking up arms to defend our freedoms against the threat 
of international terrorism, let's follow the example set by Chick 
Matthews in the last century. In this, the one hundred and first year 
of Chick Matthews' life, it is an honor for me to pay tribute to his 
example on the floor of the United States Senate.

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