[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 20 (Thursday, February 16, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S1411]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING ROY PALMER VARNER

 1Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, today I wish to remember the life 
of Roy Palmer Varner of Marietta, GA. Like many of his generation, Roy 
Varner bore witness to some of the most important moments and changes 
in our Nation's history. But Roy Varner wasn't merely a passing 
observer of the events of the 20th Century, he was an active and 
influential participant in them.
  A native son of Georgia, Roy Varner possessed a deep sense of duty 
and service, which was tested on December 7, 1941. Without hesitation, 
he joined the effort to defend freedom by enlisting in the Army and 
soon found himself in the 101st Airborne Division. On June 6, 1944, Mr. 
Varner joined thousands of his brothers in parachuting ahead of the 
Allied invasion at Normandy. A few months later, the effort to liberate 
Europe turned toward Holland, and when his name was called again, Mr. 
Varner did not hesitate to reenter the fray as a part of Operation 
Market Garden. For men like Roy Varner, there was no question of the 
righteousness of their task. They knew it would be a difficult journey, 
and that not all of them would live to see it through. But they were 
loyal, patriotic men of faith who understood the weight of their 
responsibility and never questioned their belief that their mission 
would be successful. And that, is why we call them the Greatest 
Generation.
  After the war, Mr. Varner returned to his home in Cobb County, GA, 
and married Mary Munro, who would stand loyally by his side for the 
next 56 years. In the early 1950s, Mr. Varner began what would become a 
long and successful career as a commercial real estate developer. 
Although his work took him all over the Southeast, the mark that he 
left on the early development of Cobb County was his most lasting. As a 
real estate businessman in Atlanta for over 30 years, I knew him 
personally and saw the product of his vision and hard work take shape 
in the projects he developed. Mr. Varner's influence on the community 
was also evident in his work as the chairman of the industrial 
committee for the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce and his service as a 
member of the Marietta Rotary Club.
  As a businessman, Roy Varner personified the values of honesty and 
hard work, but he was also a man of intellect and faith, and, above 
all, a family man. The son of a minister, Mr. Varner embarked on his 
life with a certain zeal that only comes with a belief in God, and he 
actively served his church community as a lay leader and fundraiser. A 
firm believer in the value of education, Mr. Varner attended Woodrow 
Wilson Law School after being honorably discharged from the Army and 
remained a scholar of history, art, literature, and world events for 
the rest of his life. He lived by his ideals and passed his principles 
on to his four children and ten grandchildren, who have continued his 
work and his legacy and who are the living embodiment of the values and 
beliefs that shaped his life and influenced the lives of so many 
others.
  On February 8, 2006, Mary Varner lost her husband and the world lost 
a truly great man. He deeply influenced his family and community, left 
an indelible mark on the landscape of Cobb County and, as a member of 
the Greatest Generation, helped influence the course of history. He 
fought for our country and he helped to build our Nation. But, as is 
often the case with men like Roy Varner, his contributions cannot 
easily be measured. He will be remembered by many different people for 
many different reasons, but Roy Varner should be remembered by this 
body as nothing less than an American hero.

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