[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 105 (Monday, July 29, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1420]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO MRS. VICTORIA WRIGHT HAMILTON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 26, 2002

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mrs. 
Victoria Wright Hamilton, who will celebrate her 100th Birthday on 
September 12, 2002. Mrs. Hamilton, or ``Grandma Vic,'' as many 
affectionately know her, is a very remarkable woman in many ways. Born 
on September 12, 1902, in Alvin, S.C., Mrs. Hamilton has lived as an 
intricate part of the same community for a century. Although she only 
attended school up to the third grade, as did many women of color in 
that era, she is a very intelligent women who's knowledge cannot begin 
to be measured.
  In 1920, Mrs. Hamilton married Henry Hamilton and their union 
produced nine children: Williemena, Christine, Julius, Rayford, Leroy, 
Nathaniel, Henry Jr., Rosa Mae, and an infant who died shortly after 
birth. Mrs. Hamilton also raised her husband's half brother Edward 
Hamilton, as if he were her own son, always filling their lives with 
love and affection.
  Mrs. Hamilton is a very strong woman--in both mind and body. She has 
been a faithful member of Bethlehem Baptist Church throughout her life. 
In addition, she is also a dedicated member of the Christian Aid 
Society, and has been a member of the Laurel Hill Chapter #257, Order 
of the Eastern Star, for more than 41 years. As a young woman, Mrs. 
Hamilton worked long days in the fields of South Carolina picking 
cotton and plowing with oxen teams and mules. Even today, at the age of 
100, she is still able to work in her garden to produce delicious 
fruits and vegetables. And, she never allows an opportunity to visit or 
help her friends or family pass her by.
  In her spare time, Mrs. Hamilton makes beautiful hand-sewn quilts 
that can be found in many homes from Jamestown, S.C. to various 
communities along Interstate 95 from Florida, to Maryland. Having made 
over 100 of these quilts as gifts to her many family members and 
friends, ``Grandma Vic'', who is a Mother, Grandmother, Great-
Grandmother, and Great-Great-Grandmother, has spread and continues to 
spread tremendous love and affection to everyone with whom she comes in 
contact.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my colleagues join me in honoring an 
outstanding South Carolinian whose dedication to her family, and love 
for her fellow man are legendary. I wish her good luck and Godspeed, 
and a very Happy 100th Birthday.

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