[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 79 (Thursday, May 21, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1232]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING THE SERVICE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF CLAUDE DAVIS

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                            HON. JEFF MILLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 21, 2009

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Mr. Claude 
Davis on the occasion of his 101st birthday for his lifetime of service 
to his community and to his country. Throughout his life, Mr. Davis has 
been leader in Northwest Florida, and I am pleased to honor such an 
admirable American.
  Born in 1908, Claude Davis enlisted in the United States Navy in 1926 
at the age of 18 and served for over twenty years. Mr. Davis fought in 
World War II and was aboard the USS Saratoga aircraft carrier during 
two separate torpedo attacks by the Japanese. He also commissioned the 
USS Antietam in 1945. Recently, Mr. Davis visited the WWII Memorial for 
the first time as part of the Second Emerald Coast Honor Flight.
  After his retirement from the Navy in 1946, Claude purchased a farm 
in Santa Rosa County, Florida and began a lifetime of service to his 
local community. He was the first agent for the Florida Farm Bureau 
Fire Insurance Company, where he remained for 25 years. Mr. Davis 
became president of the Farm Bureau, and helped organize the annual 
Santa Rosa County Farm Tour, an event conducted each year by the Santa 
Rosa Agricultural Committee to increase agricultural awareness in the 
area. As one of the original organizers of the Warrington Presbyterian 
Church and the Warrington Kiwanis Club, Claude's record of service to 
the community is outstanding and deserving of this recognition.
  Madam Speaker, on behalf of the United States Congress, I would like 
to thank Claude Davis for his lifetime of dedication and service to 
others. My wife Vicki and I wish to congratulate him and his entire 
family on this momentous occasion.

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