[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 121 (Monday, September 25, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1821]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO BERTHA GARDNER BYNUM

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 25, 2006

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an ordinary 
woman, who has led an extraordinary life. Mrs. Bertha Gardner Bynum 
turned 107 years old on September 15th, and I ask you to join me in 
celebrating her long and wonderful life.
  Bertha Gardner was born on September 15, 1899 in the Privateer area 
of Clarendon County, South Carolina. She attended St. James and Bracey 
Schools. However, the State of South Carolina didn't make the educating 
of young African American children a priority in the early 20th 
century. Consequently, when they had exhausted what little formal 
education that was available to them, Bertha and her siblings had to 
find work as sharecroppers on local farms to help out the family.
  Her family eventually moved to nearby Sumter to find a better life, 
but Bertha dreamed of much more. Bertha left South Carolina and moved 
to New York, where she did domestic work. She was later blessed with 
her only child, Elizabeth Gardner Nelson.
  Bertha returned to Sumter and on January 20, 1943 she married Simon 
Bynum. After Simon's death, Bertha led the life of a very independent 
woman. She lived alone and traveled almost everywhere she went on foot. 
She became a member of Jehovah Baptist Church, and later transferred to 
Salem Baptist. There she served as a member of the Usher Board, and is 
presently recognized as the Mother of Salem Baptist Church. However, 
declining health has prevented her from attending in recent years.
  Blessed with a long life, Mrs. Bynum has struggled through adversity 
and witnessed extraordinary changes in the world around her. Today she 
continues to read her bible and shares advice with all that will 
listen. She is the last survivor of her 13 siblings and lives with her 
daughter and son-in-law where she is surrounded by the love of five 
generations of her extended family.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you to join me today in sending best wishes and 
Godspeed to the matriarch of the Gardner family. She has shown a true 
devotion to her faith and her family, and is a living legacy. She 
deserves our deepest respect and admiration.

                          ____________________