[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 191 (Thursday, December 13, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2583-E2584]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING DR. HAROLD DODGE ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT AS 
        SUPERINTENDENT OF THE MOBILE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 13, 2007

  Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, it is with great pride and pleasure that I 
rise to honor the long and distinguished career of Dr. Harold Dodge, on 
the occasion of his retirement as superintendent of the Mobile County 
Public School System.
  With a career spanning over four decades, Dr. Dodge has dedicated his 
life to education, serving as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. 
Beginning his career as a teacher and a coach at Deep Creek High School 
in Chesapeake, Virginia, he went on to serve as principal at Oscar 
Smith High School, Indian River Junior High School, and E.W. Chittum 
Elementary School in Chesapeake, Virginia.
  Prior to coming to Mobile, Dr. Dodge served as superintendent of 
Cumberland County Schools in Cumberland, Virginia; Montgomery County 
Schools in Christianburg, Virginia; and University City School District 
in University City, Missouri.
  In August of 1998, Dr. Dodge took the reigns of the Mobile County 
Public School System, the State's largest school system with over 
65,000 students and 8,000 employees. Under his leadership, the school 
system has implemented a nationally recognized strategic

[[Page E2584]]

plan that encourages sustained parental and community involvement while 
focusing on making children proficient in learning.
  After 10 years of extraordinary work as superintendent of the Mobile 
County Public Schools, Dr. Dodge will turn his attention to college 
students as a professor at the University of South Alabama. He will be 
an associate professor in the Department of Leadership and Teacher 
Education, training principals and superintendents in the university's 
master degree program.
  There are few individuals more dedicated or more committed to 
students than Harold Dodge, and this commitment has not gone unnoticed. 
In 2006, Dr. Dodge was named Alabama's Superintendent of the Year. 
Earlier this month, he was named an Outstanding Civilian Service 
Member, the second highest public service honorary award given to 
civilians by the United States Army, and the Mobile Area Education 
Foundation named its Fund-a-S.T.A.R. grant program for classroom 
teachers after him. The city of Mobile named Thursday, December 6, 
2007, both the Mobile Area Education Foundation Day and Harold Dodge 
Day.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing a 
dedicated community leader and friend to many throughout Alabama. Dr. 
Harold Dodge is an outstanding example of the quality of individuals 
who have devoted their lives to education. I know his colleagues; his 
wife, Jean; his family; and many friends join me in extending thanks 
for his many efforts over the years on behalf of the city of Mobile and 
the State of Alabama. I wish him the best in all his future endeavors.

                          ____________________