[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 43 (Wednesday, April 17, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E564]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


   TRIBUTE TO EDWARD SWINGLE, JOHN SHUMEJDA, THOMAS BOYDSTON, ROBERT 
                      NORTON AND TIMOTHY VANDEVORT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BOB BARR

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 17, 2002

  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express our most 
heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Edward Swingle, John 
Shumejda, Thomas Boydston, Robert Norton, and Timothy Vandevort who 
lost these loved ones in a tragic airplane accident on January 4, 2002, 
in Birmingham, England.
  In honor and memory of these individuals, I will be presenting a flag 
to each of the families, to Chairman, President and CEO of AGCO, Mr. 
Bob Ratliff, and to CFO of Epps Aviation, Ms. Marian Epps on April 22, 
2002. Mr. Speaker, I want my colleagues to know what great individuals 
these men were.
  AGCO Corporation, headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, USA, is one of 
the world's largest manufacturers, designers, and distributors of 
agricultural equipment. AGCO provides several brands of products which 
are sold in more than 140 countries around the world.
  John Shumejda was President and Chief Executive Officer of AGCO. He 
was appointed to the position in 1999 and provided a strong source of 
leadership for the company.
  Edward ``Ed'' Swingle was Senior Vice President of Worldwide 
Marketing of ACGO. He had been with the company since its formation in 
1990, and greatly contributed to the growth of the company.
  Both men were leaders at ACGO from its founding in 1990. Due to their 
leadership, AGCO is considered one of the top companies in the farming 
equipment industry.
  Epps Aviation, headquartered at Dekalb-Peachtree Airport just outside 
of Atlanta, Georgia, lost three of its finest and most experienced 
members of its team:
  Thomas ``Tommy'' Boydston, Director of Operations of Epps Aviation. 
He had been with the company for over 26 years, and was instrumental in 
the growth of the Charter Department's fleet and pilots.
  Robert ``Bob'' Norton was a distinguished pilot from Atlanta, Georgia 
who worked over 20 years for Epps Aviation.
  Timothy ``Tim'' Vandevort was a distinguished pilot from Duluth, 
Georgia who had worked for Epps Aviation for over 4 years.
  Each of these five individuals will be greatly missed by their loving 
families, their many friends, and by their business associates and 
customers. I hope my colleagues in the House of Representatives join me 
in recognizing their dedication to their companies, their families and 
their country.

                          ____________________