[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 172 (Thursday, November 10, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S7359]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO DORIS AND MACKIE REAMS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a couple 
who truly exemplify the spirit of Kentucky. Mackie and Doris Reams have 
been happily married for 57 years and have lived an exciting and 
romantic life together in London, KY.
  When Mackie, now 80, first saw Doris, he was about 20 and was working 
as a tobacco cutter in a field near her house; she was only 16 at the 
time. ``I saw her a few times and I just got brave enough to ask her to 
go out,'' he recalled. ``I couldn't resist those pretty blond curls . . 
. .That's how it started. We went together for about three years before 
we got married.'' Mackie and Doris were married on October 3, 1953, by 
preacher Layton Vandaventer and have been inseparable ever since.
  The couple lived in Mackie's parents' house on Old Salem Road for 
several years after they wed and worked on the family farm. Each day 
they milked 8 cows by hand and tended to 6,000 broiler chickens. ``We 
fed and took care of them for nine weeks,'' recalls Doris, now 76. 
``Then Purina Company came and we loaded them on a truck that took them 
to a processing plant in Mt. Sterling.''
  In 1955, Mackie began a brief stint of service in the U.S. Army--his 
service ended in 1957. Afterwards, he began a career at Caron Spinning 
where he worked for 27 years. Doris was also employed at the Caron 
Spinning factory for almost 13 years until it finally closed down. 
Mackie's final job before he retired was as a door greeter at Walmart. 
``My legs and knees got to bothering me, standing there all the time,'' 
Mackie said. ``So, I just quit. We just go and do whatever we want to 
do,'' he says in reference to their daily routine.
  Each day the couple walks at Kmart every morning and visits the 
Laurel County Older Person Activity Center. ``We play cards and play 
cornhole in the exercise room,'' Doris said. ``We have lunch. OPAC has 
a lot of things to do. They took us to the state fair this year,'' she 
explained. In what spare time they do have, Doris and Mackie also 
attend Calvary Baptist Church on Sunday mornings and Wednesday 
evenings.
  ``We have been very healthy and happy all our life together,'' Mackie 
and Doris are lucky enough to say. ``We thank God for that.''
  Doris and Mackie Reams are an outstanding pair of Kentuckians who are 
truly blessed for the wonderful lifetime they have shared together. 
They are hard-working, caring citizens whose lifetime of success and 
happiness serves as an inspiration to the people of our great 
Commonwealth.
  The Laurel County-area publication the Sentinel Echo recently 
published an article highlighting this couple's achievements over the 
years. I ask unanimous consent that the full article be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                 [From the Sentinel Echo, Winter 2011]

                        Together, Wherever We Go

                            (By Carol Mills)

       Former Walmart greeter Mackie Reams met his wife Doris 60 
     years ago, and they have been happily married for 57 years. 
     He is 80 and she is 76.
       Their secret to staying in love for so long is they do 
     everything together.
       ``We just went together wherever we were going, and we 
     still do,'' Doris said.
       Mackie said he lets her do all the shopping, but he goes 
     with her. Sometimes he sits and waits on her to finish 
     shopping, but he is always near.
       ``If we went somewhere, we took our kids with us and 
     everybody went. That's just the way we lived.''
       Doris moved to Bill George Road from Knox County with her 
     parents at a young age.
       ``I've lived around this territory ever since I was 10 
     years old,'' she said. ``My dad owned all this country back 
     in here where all the houses are. We just farmed. We raised 
     tobacco and corn. After we got married, I worked for Caron 
     Spinning. I worked there for 13 years until they closed 
     out.''
       Mackie farmed at his parents' place on Old Salem Road. 
     After he married Doris, the couple stayed with his parents 
     for a couple of years. On his farm, they milked eight cows by 
     hand twice a day for two years and sold the milk to Southern 
     Belle Dairy Company.
       The Reams also raised broiler chickens.
       ``The broiler house held 6,000 chickens,'' Doris recalled. 
     ``We fed and took care of them for nine weeks. Then Purina 
     Company came, and we loaded them on a truck that took them to 
     a processing plant in Mt. Sterling. Then we would have to 
     clean the house and get ready for another bunch of baby 
     chickens and start all over again.''
       Mackie spent two years in the U.S. Army--1955 to 1957. He 
     then worked at Caron Spinning for 27 years and for 13 years 
     as a door greeter at Walmart.
       ``I quit about three years ago,'' Mackie said. ``My legs 
     and knees got to bothering me, standing there all the time. 
     So, I just quit. We just go and do whatever we want to do.''
       The couple walks at Kmart every morning and attend Calvary 
     Baptist Church every Sunday morning and evening and on 
     Wednesday.
       The couple also visits Laurel County Older Person Activity 
     Center almost every day.
       ``We play cards and play cornhole in the exercise room,'' 
     Doris said. ``We have lunch. OPAC has a lot of things to 
     do.''
       Mackie said OPAC took them to Frankfort to see the Capitol.
       ``They took us to the state fair this year,'' Doris said.
       They used to travel a lot.
       ``We've been to a lot of the states,'' Doris said. ``We 
     usually went with friends. We went all the way to California, 
     driving around on two weeks of vacation. We just drove and 
     stopped whenever we got ready.''
       ``Niagara Falls, all up in New York and all up in that 
     territory,'' Mackie added. ``All over Kentucky and the United 
     States just about.''
       In the '70s and '80s, Mackie and Doris were active in 
     sports. He played baseball while Doris watched and rooted for 
     him. They also went bowling three or four nights a week at 
     Levi Lanes.
       ``We won lots of trophies,'' Doris said. ``I also used to 
     quilt a lot during the winter months and made crocheted 
     afghans, but I can't anymore because of my arthritis in my 
     hands.''
       Mackie first noticed Doris at her home near where he was 
     cutting tobacco in a field. Her home was just a couple of 
     houses down from where she now lives on Bill George Road. He 
     was 20 years old, and she was 16.
       ``I saw her a few times and I just got brave enough to ask 
     her to go out,'' he recalled. ``I couldn't resist those 
     pretty blond curls. That's how it started. We got to going to 
     church together. We went together for about three years 
     before we got married.''
       Mackie said he drove his father's pickup to do his 
     courting.
       ``I got to drive it,'' he said. ``I'd go get her and we'd 
     go to church. We'd ride around and maybe go up to town on 
     Saturday and walk up and down the streets. I never did go to 
     the Reda (theater) with her because her family was kind of 
     strict. They didn't want her going places like that at that 
     time.''
       ``My parents were old fashioned,'' Doris laughed. ``I guess 
     they finally decided we were going to get married anyway and 
     agreed. They didn't like it too well, but they went ahead 
     with it. My dad went with us to the wedding, but my mom 
     didn't because she thought she would cry or something. We got 
     married in the preacher's house on Oct. 3, 1953. His name was 
     Layton Vandaventer. He's deceased now.''
       Doris and Mackie have been in good health for most of their 
     lives.
       ``We have been very healthy and happy all our life 
     together,'' they said. ``We thank God for that.''
       The couple has two children, Eddie Reams and Phyllis 
     Purvis, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

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