[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 8, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING LAVERNE DUNLAP

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Chocola) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CHOCOLA. Mr. Speaker, in light of Women's History Month, today I 
rise in honor of Laverne Dunlap. Laverne Dunlap retired earlier this 
month after 35 years of service with the Michigan City, Indiana, Police 
Department. Her story is much more than just a story about a public 
servant. It is a story about a pioneer.
  The story actually begins in Greenwood, Mississippi, where Laverne 
was born. At the age of 5, she moved to Kingston Heights, Indiana, with 
her family. In 1963, she moved to Michigan City, but she never forgot 
where she came from, and at the age of 21, she traveled back to 
Greenwood, Mississippi, with a traveling band to perform in her 
hometown.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe that the true test of greatness is not how 
someone responds to success, but how they respond to adversity. The 
choices we make when we are in the midst of trials and tribulations are 
the true reflection of our character. Well, Mr. Speaker, one night in 
Greenwood, Mississippi, Laverne Dunlap's character was tested, and like 
many before her and many after her, she turned her trials into her 
triumph.
  While swimming in a pool in the hotel where she was staying, Laverne 
and her sister were roughed up and arrested by police. Their crime, 
swimming in a pool only meant for white people. This was the moment 
when Laverne Dunlap knew her destiny was to become a police officer, 
not to exact revenge, but to make sure that those wearing the uniform 
of trust could truly be trusted.
  In 1971, she joined the Michigan City Police Department with one 
other woman named Sue Bitter. They were the first women on the Michigan 
City Police Force, and throughout her 35 years, she worked in vice, 
juvenile crimes, uniform division, undercover, and she even spent some 
time driving the scuba team's boat.
  She has earned the respect and admiration of her peers, her family, 
her community and certainly her Congressman. I congratulate her on her 
retirement and wish her the best of luck as she plans to spend time in 
her retirement with her 96-year-old mother.
  Thank you, Laverne. You are a public servant and an inspiration.

                          ____________________