[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 18, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H3515]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE CHATHAM COUNTY COURTHOUSE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. ETHERIDGE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a resolution 
that was on the floor earlier which I introduced with my friend 
Congressman David Price and which honors the historic and community 
significance of the Chatham County Courthouse in Pittsboro, North 
Carolina. I would like to thank Majority Leader Hoyer, Judiciary 
Committee Chairman Conyers, Subcommittee Chairman Johnson, and really 
the entire North Carolina delegation, each of whom helped bring this 
important resolution to the floor.
  On March 25 of this year, a tragic fire struck and almost totally 
destroyed the Chatham County Courthouse, which has been a beacon of 
justice and the rule of law for over 100 years. Anyone who has ever 
driven through Pittsboro, around the traffic circle surrounding the 
courthouse, can attest to its beauty and how central its presence has 
been to the Pittsboro community, the county, and the State of North 
Carolina. The entire community rose to its defense as the fire blazed 
and even now is working to rebuild it. Thanks to the heroic actions 
of the firefighters, first responders, community leaders, and Chatham 
County citizens, I am confident that Pittsboro will again have a 
courthouse that the town and the county can be proud of.

  I would like to particularly recognize some of the leaders who were 
instrumental in managing and alleviating this unexpected tragedy and 
really kept the building from being totally destroyed: Thomas Bender, 
who is the Chatham County fire marshal; Daryl Griffin, Pittsboro fire 
chief, and all of the adjoining fire departments that came to help; 
David Collins, Pittsboro police chief; Richard H. Webster, sheriff of 
Chatham County; Randy Voller, mayor of the town of Pittsboro; Larry 
Chisolm, Chatham County district attorney; Allen Baddour, superior 
court judge, Chatham County District 15B; and the entire Chatham County 
board of commissioners who rallied, who stood the streets, who brought 
the community together.
  I ask my colleagues, as this resolution comes to the floor, to join 
me in honoring these North Carolina leaders and those who love the 
community of Pittsboro and the Chatham County Courthouse, a cultural 
icon and a landmark that will not easily be forgotten. By supporting 
this resolution, it will be rebuilt by the people of Chatham County.

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