[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 19 (Wednesday, February 6, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE LIFE OF MR. J. RUSSELL COFFEY, A PUBLIC SERVANT AND WORLD 
                             WAR I VETERAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT E. LATTA

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 6, 2008

  Mr. LATTA. Madam Speaker, Mr. J. Russell Coffey passed away on 
December 20, 2007, at the age of 109, and Mr. Coffey was 1 of 3 
surviving veterans of World War I. Mr. Coffey was a student at Ohio 
State University when the United States joined the war in 1917 and Mr. 
Coffey enlisted in the Army at the age of 20 and was honorably 
discharged on December 12, 1918, a month after the signing of the 
armistice.
  Mr. Coffey played baseball and was a track sprinter while in college 
and received both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from Ohio 
State University, as well as a doctorate degree in education from New 
York University. Mr. Coffey continued his interest in sports and 
teaching by officiating high school sports for many years while he 
taught junior high and high school students in Phelps, Kentucky, at the 
former Glenwood Junior High School in Findlay and at the former Findlay 
College. Mr. Coffey served as an instructor at Bowling Green State 
University from 1948 through 1969, primarily teaching physical 
education but also teaching archery, psychology, swimming, and driver's 
education. Mr. Coffey was the director of the university's graduate 
studies in health and physical education from 1952 to 1968. Mr. Coffey 
was an active member of the Bowling Green Rotary Club for more than 50 
years, and he was named the ``oldest living Rotarian in the world'' by 
the club in 2004, and in later years, Mr. Coffey credited physical 
activity and a healthy diet for his longevity.
  The House of Representatives honors the life of Mr. J. Russell Coffey 
for his dedication to public service as a veteran, teacher, and member 
of the community.

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