[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 76 (Wednesday, June 14, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1153]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               REMEMBERING MAJOR GENERAL DENVER BRACKEEN

                                 ______
                                 

                   HON. CHARLES W. ``CHIP'' PICKERING

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 14, 2006

  Mr. PICKERING. Mr. Speaker, today I ask Congress to join me in 
remembering and saluting the life and legacy of Major General Denver 
Brackeen: a soldier, a sportsman, an administrator, and a coach. Denver 
passed away at his home in Union, Mississippi on May 29, at the age of 
75.
  Denver was born on February 10, 1931 in Hickory, Mississippi. At 
Hickory High School he twice achieved All-State honors for basketball, 
leading his Bulldogs to a 51-1 record his senior year. He went on to 
play basketball at East Central Community College and the University of 
Mississippi. At East Central he was selected the nation's most valuable 
player and earned All-American honors. At Ole Miss he received All-
American honors from the Helms Athletic Foundation, was chosen most 
valuable player in the Southeastern Conference, twice named to All-SEC 
teams and selected as the most valuable player for the Southern states.
  Denver was drafted by the New York Knickerbockers but soon returned 
to East Central Community College to begin 28 years of service as 
coach, guidance counselor, admissions director, dean of students and 
academic dean. From 1955 to 1963 he coached East Central's basketball 
Warriors to a 137-52 record, with his final season finishing 22-3 after 
advancing to the state tournament semi-finals. In 1982, East Central 
chose Denver as their Alumnus of the Year and the College's physical 
education building bares his name.
  Denver was inducted into the NJCAA Men's Basketball Hall of Fame, the 
Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Hall of Fame. 
Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove appointed Denver to the State 
Board for Community and Junior Colleges.
  While amassing records and notability on the hardwood courts, and 
teaching and training a new generation of Mississippians, Denver also 
served his state and nation in the Mississippi National Guard including 
a stint in the Korean War. After years of exemplary service he was 
appointed Mississippi's Adjutant General and retired from military 
service with the rank of major general.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope this Congress joins me in remembering Major 
General Denver Brackeen's determined leadership and championship 
character. Mississippi will miss this cherished native son, as will his 
wife Charlotte and his surviving son Morgan, and his grandchildren 
Jonathan, Sable, Dillon and Ashlee.

                          ____________________