[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 23, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO WENDELL H. STEPP, DOTHAN HISTORIAN AND WIREGRASS VETERANS' 
                                ADVOCATE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. TERRY EVERETT

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 23, 2008

  Mr. EVERETT. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a dear friend 
who passed away Monday, July 21, at the age of 84. Wendell Stepp was a 
dedicated supporter of veterans and a well known historian for his 
adopted hometown of Dothan, Alabama, in my congressional district.
  As commander of the Wiregrass Veterans Alliance, Wendell was an 
unmatched advocate for our former military, never failing to call for 
their improved access to quality VA health care and benefits.
  In the days after I was first sworn in to Congress, Wendell came to 
me to voice strong support for a Wiregrass based VA outpatient clinic. 
In 1996, with his encouragement, we were able to secure one of the 
first such VA outpatient clinics in the nation in Dothan. Today, the 
Dothan VA Clinic serves 6,000 area veterans and in March a second 
Wiregrass VA clinic was opened at nearby Fort Rucker.
  There is another Wendell Stepp; a local historian and author who in 
1984 illustrated the transformation of Dothan with the publication of 
``Dothan: A Pictorial History.'' He was also the force behind the 
successful movement to create the popular historic murals that grace 
the walls of downtown Dothan.
  Wendell Stepp was proud to call Dothan home even though he moved to 
the Wiregrass from Ohio in 1966. His four decades of service to Dothan 
will guarantee him a rightful place in our history. I extend my 
condolences to his wife, Winifred, and his family at this time of 
personal loss. Dothan has lost one of its biggest friends.

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