[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 44 (Monday, March 22, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E436]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    ON THE OCCASION OF CELEBRATING HELEN PARKER GAY'S 90TH BIRTHDAY

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                         HON. G. K. BUTTERFIELD

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 22, 2010

  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Madam Speaker, on Saturday, March 20, 2010, friends 
and family will gather to honor Helen Parker Gay, a retired public 
servant who has had a tremendous impact on North Carolina's First 
Congressional District. I have great respect and admiration for Helen 
Gay, and I wish I could be there to pay tribute to this extraordinary 
woman.
  A lifetime resident of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Helen Gay will be 
celebrating her 90th birthday. She has tirelessly dedicated herself to 
the community. She worked at the North Carolina Employment Security 
Commission for 37 years, and served as mayor pro term three times 
during her 20 years as a member of Rocky Mount's City Council.
  In 1962, she was among the people who gathered at Rocky Mount's 
Booker T. Washington High School to hear Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 
speak. That day Dr. King delivered his famous ``I Have a Dream'' speech 
for the first time. As many people know, she not only met Dr. King that 
day but also cooked his dinner.
  She was a board member of the Carolinas Gateway Partnership, a member 
of the N.C. Energy Policy Council, past president of the N.C. Black 
Elected Municipal Officials and a former board member of the N.C. 
League of Municipalities.
  She also has served as elder of Mt. Pisgah Presbyterian Church, and 
has received numerous awards for her efforts, including the State's 
highest honor, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.
  As one of the most respected elected officials this region has ever 
known, she was well known for her honest nature and a strong desire to 
provide a voice for the people she represented so well.
  While the pending historic vote to ensure that all Americans have 
access to affordable health insurance will keep me from attending the 
birthday celebration, my thoughts and prayers will be with Helen Parker 
Gay.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing Helen 
Parker Gay. She is truly a remarkable person deserving of our deepest 
well wishes for the enormous contributions that she made in the lives 
of so many people living in eastern North Carolina.

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