[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 162 (Thursday, December 9, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2112]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING CONGRESSMAN BOBBY BRIGHT FOR HIS SERVICE TO SOUTH ALABAMA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 9, 2010

  Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the distinguished 
service of my colleague, Congressman Bobby Bright, who represented the 
people of Alabama's Second Congressional District during the 111th 
Congress.
  A native of Dale County in the Alabama Wiregrass region, Bobby Neal 
Bright brought to Washington a determination to look after both the 
rural and urban areas of his sprawling southeast Alabama district, and 
he did so very well.
  Born into a large family and raised on hard work, Congressman Bright 
attended Enterprise State Junior College and later Auburn University 
where, in 1975, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Political 
Science. He later received a Masters Degree in Criminal Justice from 
Troy University and a Juris Doctor degree at Thomas Goode Jones School 
of Law in Montgomery.
  After graduating from college, Bobby wore many hats as a teacher, 
financial advisor, corrections officer, law clerk, and later practiced 
law for 16 years.
  He first entered public service in 1999, when he was elected mayor of 
Alabama's capital city, Montgomery. He was subsequently reelected 
twice, serving nine years in office.
  Under his leadership, Montgomery experienced unprecedented job 
growth, including the construction of Hyundai America's car plant just 
south of town. During his tenure, he initiated a downtown and 
riverfront revitalization project which re-invented Montgomery's 
tourism industry, bringing attractions such as the Renaissance Hotel 
and Spa and The Montgomery Biscuits minor league baseball team.
  Upon being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008, 
Congressman Bright leveraged his leadership skills for Alabama's River 
Region and the Wiregrass.
  He quickly won a seat on the House Armed Services Committee in order 
to look after the district's largest employers, Maxwell-Gunter Air 
Force Base and the U.S. Army Aviation Center at Fort Rucker.
  Congressman Bright also served on the Agriculture and Small Business 
committees which enabled him to look after the other major pillars of 
the local economy, including Alabama's peanut and cotton farmers and 
the small businesses which dot the landscape from Deatsville to Dothan.
  As this Congress draws to a close and Congressman Bright prepares to 
return to Alabama, I wish him, his wife, Lynn, and their three 
children, Neal, Lisa and Katie, the very best of luck in their future 
endeavors.

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