[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 99 (Tuesday, July 25, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1519]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE MEMORY OF RHETT PAYNE, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 25, 2006

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, recently, south Alabama lost a dear friend, 
a man who was the epitome of a true southern gentleman, and I rise 
today to pay tribute to his memory.
  Rhett Payne was a kind and gentle man. He was generous to a fault and 
good to the core. Moreover, he came from the era that Tom Brokaw has 
called ``the Greatest Generation.'' Mr. Rhett answered his country's 
call to service when WorId War II broke out--as so many other young 
boys did at that time--and he returned home a few years later to help 
make his beloved Jackson a better place to live.
  He was a success in business, retiring as district manager for 
Liberty National Life Insurance Company after three decades of service.
  Moreover, he was a winner in life, circling himself with numerous 
friends and confidantes who all enjoyed his sound judgment, wise 
counsel and his good humor.
  Perhaps the ultimate feather in Mr. Rhett's distinguished cap was his 
beloved wife of 59 years, Jean, and their two sons, Rhett III and Bill, 
and the wonderful families they have helped to foster.
  Mr. Speaker, there have been many tributes made to the life of Rhett 
Payne since his untimely passing but none, I think, captures his very 
essence as a good and decent man better than the article written by my 
friend, Jim Cox, publisher of the South Alabamian. With your 
permission, I would like to enter Jim's tribute to Rhett Payne at this 
time:

       The fairways are lush and unbroken. The greens are like the 
     felt atop a quality pool table. It is a perfect golf course . 
     . . but perfect means there are even some challenging holes.
       Bounding over the crest of the hill is a youthful Rhett 
     Payne Jr. trailed by his good friend, an equally young and 
     vigorous Bob Harper. They are having a great time. They 
     should be. They are playing the ``Cloud 9 X 2'' course at No. 
     9 Heavenly Lane.
       I smiled through my tears as I fancied the scene while the 
     Rev. Rhett Payne III was speaking at his father's funeral 
     Saturday at the First Presbyterian Church in Jackson where 
     the senior Payne was a longtime member.
       The image was prompted by the Rev. Payne's--``Little 
     Rhett''--reference to his dad being buried with his favorite 
     putter in his hands. He commented that the late Bob Harper, a 
     good friend and longtime president of Merchants Bank, had 
     nicknamed him ``Puttin' Payne.''
       The senior Payne was a charter member of the Jackson Golf 
     Course. He loved the game and a tournament was named in his 
     honor in 1994.
       For over 25 years, Rhett and Jean Payne have been a part of 
     my life. Jean has worked with me and for me in the newspaper 
     business. She's earned the nickname ``Aunt Jean,'' from a 
     host of younger people she's come in contact with and 
     influenced over the years, me included.
       If she was an aunt, then Rhett was certainly a grand uncle, 
     although the handle was rarely added.
       Rhett Payne was a southern gentleman--courtly, well-
     mannered, and soft-spoken. He didn't gossip much and he 
     rarely criticized or downgraded people.
       His son and others commented on his constant and contagious 
     smile and that, along with his sparkling eyes and easy laugh, 
     is what I will remember about Rhett Payne Jr.
       Rhett loved to laugh and have a good time. His laughs were 
     not loud guffaws but soft chuckles. They were real and 
     authentic, not put ons.
       Rhett was of the ``Greatest Generation,'' a group of World 
     War II veterans who served their country and the world 
     honorably in a time of great crisis and then came home to 
     work and help mold and develop communities. They are fast 
     leaving us and their replacements are not of the same 
     caliber.
       By the time I really got to know Rhett, he was retired as a 
     district manager for Liberty National Life Insurance. He had 
     worked for the company for 3 decades.
       By then, Jean and I were working together. I'd see him at 
     the office and at office parties, and I visited him 
     frequently in their home where I was always a welcomed guest.
       Rhett was 88 when he died last week but I never thought of 
     him as being old. While he and Jean were old enough to be my 
     parents, I always thought of them more as peers and 
     contemporaries than as ``old folks.''
       Rhett III did a wonderful job Saturday eulogizing his dad. 
     He stepped the congregation through the seasons and through 
     amusing incidents that he and his younger brother, William 
     McCrary ``Bill'' Payne, remembered of their growing up years 
     with Rhett and Jean.
       He detailed his parents' love and said they went out almost 
     every Friday night, still ``dating'' to keep their love 
     alive.
       They were married for 59 years.
       Jean and Rhett loved to dance. If you never saw them 
     performing on the dance floor, you really missed something. 
     Think of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers and you'll come 
     close.
       I was at some event, political or newspaper, I'm not sure, 
     years ago and the Paynes were there, too. There was a band 
     and a few couples were muddling through dances. I was at the 
     back of the room when I noticed the crowd parting around the 
     dance floor. I edged to the side of the group and there was 
     Jean and Rhett. It was then that I really understood the 
     phrase ``cutting a rug.'' They were having a ball. And so was 
     everybody watching them.
       Time is not important in Heaven. Rhett may be enjoying his 
     golf game now but he will trade his golf shoes for his 
     dancing shoes one day when he'll swing his beloved Jean out 
     across a celestial dance floor.
       Of course, we are in no hurry down here, Rhett. Enjoy your 
     game!

  Mr. Speaker, may the entire Payne family draw some comfort during 
their time of grief with the knowledge that their beloved husband, 
father and grandfather will be sorely missed.

                          ____________________