[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 24, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1339]]
                   HONORING CLIFFORD THEODORE SHUMATE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ERNIE FLETCHER

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 24, 2003

  Mr. FLETCHER. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to rise today to pay 
tribute to a wonderful father and grandfather, resourceful businessman, 
and lifelong Kentuckian that, unfortunately, passed away on June 21, 
2003. I speak of Clifford Theodore Shumate, a self-made man that rose 
from humble beginnings to build a successful textile-manufacturing 
outfit that now stretches across Kentucky's Bluegrass Region.
  Clifford Shumate was born on September 9, 1914 in Fleming County, 
Kentucky. The eldest of seven children, Mr. Shumate struggled to 
provide for his family. When he was just eight years old, Mr. Shumate 
completed the third grade and was sent to work the land as a tenant 
farmer. Although he received only a limited formal education, Mr. 
Shumate was, nevertheless, a knowledgeable man that learned a great 
deal from his own experiences and self-determination.
  In 1933, Mr. Shumate married Carrie Spivey and, together, they 
founded Griffin Manufacturing in Carlisle, Kentucky. In 1948, with 
resources totaling about $6,000 and a workforce of only eight 
employees, Mr. and Mrs. Shumate oversaw a modest t-shirt manufacturing 
operation. It took little time, however, for this small company to 
grow.
  Within a year, Mr. Shumate expanded his company to include a second 
Carlisle factory with 150 employees. Following the construction of a 
third factory in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, Mr. Shumate consolidated all 
of his plants into a new 36,000 square foot facility in Nicholas 
County. By 1973, with new plants in Paris, Cynthiana, and Maysville, 
Kentucky, Mr. Shumate administered a company with over 3,000 employees.
  Clearly, Mr. Shumate's accomplishments in his home state of Kentucky 
cannot be questioned. However, his personal resolve and desire to grow 
led Mr. Shumate to open international facilities in Merelbeke, Belgium 
and Carlton Place, Canada.
  After 33 years of service, Mr. and Mrs. Shumate retired in 1980. They 
left the company, now known as Kentucky Textiles, in the same manner in 
which they created it--together. Mr. Shumate's international textile 
firm, which began 55 years ago as a small t-shirt manufacturer in 
Carlisle, still remains in family hands. Mr. Shumate's son, Wayne, and 
his grandchildren, Cliff and Paige, are continuing the legacy that 
Clifford Shumate began long ago, at the age of eight, on the family 
farm in Fleming County, Kentucky.

                          ____________________