[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 99 (Tuesday, June 29, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S5534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                 TRIBUTE TO COLONEL CLARENCE S. PARKER

 Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, I wish to join with my 
colleague, Senator Isakson, today to honor the accomplishments of COL 
Clarence S. Parker of Valdosta, GA, in the Record of the Senate.
  For most of his life, Colonel Parker has been a dedicated pilot. In 
1940, when the United States was on the brink of war, Colonel Parker 
was prepared to fight for his loved ones and his nation. A native of 
Houston, TX, Colonel Parker began his lengthy career in aviation while 
enrolled as a student at the University of Houston.
  After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Colonel Parker entered the 
U.S. Army Air Corps in January of 1942. He completed military flight 
training and was commissioned in September of that year. During World 
War II, Colonel Parker was an instructor pilot at Waco Army Airfield, 
primarily in the BT-13 and the P-40 aircraft. He flew during the early 
phases of the Berlin Airlift, and later ascended to a position of 
leadership as the chief of flight procedures from 1948 until the end of 
the airlift. In 1950, he returned to the U.S. to serve at the Pentagon 
in the U.S. Air Force Headquarters and also at Tyndall Air Force Base 
in Florida. Following service in Vietnam, he finished his military 
career as wing commander at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, GA, 
flying T-37 and T-38 aircraft.
  Following his retirement in 1971, Colonel Parker made Valdosta, GA, 
his home. He became heavily involved in the operations and upkeep of 
the Valdosta Municipal Airport and began a second career in banking. 
During his tenure as chairman of the airport authority from 1987 to 
2005, he was instrumental in earning funding for several major 
construction projects, including a project to lengthen the main 
instrument runway to 8,002 feet.
  Colonel Parker remains an active pilot with over 7,500 hours of 
flight time. He continues to work with the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of 
Commerce to benefit the flying activities at both Moody Air Force Base 
and in the Valdosta civil aviation community. Additionally, he remains 
a consultant to the Valdosta-Lowndes County Airport Authority.
  Colonel Parker has enjoyed a career that is extraordinary in length, 
quality of service, and leadership. For these reasons, he has been 
selected to receive the Federal Aviation Administration's Wright 
Brothers Master Pilot Award. The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award 
recognizes pilots who have maintained safe flight operations for 50 or 
more consecutive years. We can think of no higher award for a pilot, 
and we are proud to recognize Colonel Parker for his receipt of the 
Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award.

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