[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 155 (Saturday, September 27, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2079]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING THE HONORABLE CHIP PICKERING ON THE OCCASION OF HIS 
                               RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 26, 2008

  Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the distinguished 
career of the Honorable Charles ``Chip'' Willis Pickering, Jr. for his 
service to the people of Mississippi and United States House of 
Representatives. Congressman Pickering has represented the 3rd 
Congressional District of the state of Mississippi for the past 12 
years.
   A native of Laurel, Mississippi, Chip received a bachelor's degree 
in business administration from the University of Mississippi and a 
master's degree in business administration from Baylor University.
   Before joining Congress, Chip served as a Southern Baptist 
missionary in the communist region of Budapest, Hungary. Upon returning 
to the country, former President George H. W. Bush appointed him to the 
United States Department of Agriculture as a liaison to bring reform to 
the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
   Upon his return to the United States, Chip went to work for the 
people of Mississippi as a staffer of former Mississippi Senator Trent 
Lott, where he served for nearly four years. At the age of 33, he ran 
as the Republican candidate for Mississippi's 3rd District in 1996.
   Chip has taken the lead in passing FEMA and contracting reform 
legislation in the wake of 2005's Hurricane Katrina. As a member of the 
House Energy and Commerce Committee, Chip has been an influential 
leader on issues such as telecommunications and technology concerning 
Mississippi's future.
   Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing a 
dedicated leader and friend to many in this body. I know his family, 
his five sons, Will, Ross, Jackson, Asher, and Harper; his many friends 
and colleagues join me in praising his accomplishments and extending 
thanks for his service over the years on behalf of the state of 
Mississippi and the United States of America.
   Chip will surely enjoy the well deserved time he now has to spend 
with his family and loved ones. I wish him the best of luck in all his 
future endeavors.

                          ____________________