[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 17 (Thursday, February 2, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E124]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO JUDGE VIRGIL PITTMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 2, 2012

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to add my voice with many across 
South Alabama who are mourning the loss of a remarkable jurist who left 
an indelible mark on our community. Judge Virgil Pittman recently 
passed away at the age of 95.
  Born in 1916 in Coffee County in Southeast Alabama where he picked 
cotton as a young man, the future state and federal judge spent his 
life devoted to fairness for all.
  Before he began his legal journey, Judge Pittman graduated from 
Enterprise High School, the University of Alabama and the University of 
Alabama Law School. Upon completion of his studies, he served as a 
special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. After three 
years with the Bureau, he answered his nation's call to service in 
World War II, donning the uniform of a United States Navy Lieutenant 
Junior Grade.
  Returning stateside after the war, Judge Pittman practiced law in 
Gadsden, Alabama, for six years before assuming the post of Judge of 
Alabama's Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, a position he held for 16 
years. In 1966, Judge Pittman exchanged his State Circuit judgeship 
robe for one on the federal bench after he was appointed by President 
Lyndon Johnson. His career as a federal judge encompassed service in 
the Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama, spanning 40 years.
  In 1971, Judge Pittman became the chief judge of the federal court in 
Mobile. He was never one to shy away from taking tough positions that 
he believed were right. This made him unpopular with those who opposed 
his strong stance against Mobile's then citywide commission form of 
government. Judge Pittman believed the old system was unfair to non 
whites and those without political influence. He stood his ground and 
in the end prevailed.
  There were times when Judge Pittman's rulings drew criticism from 
local politicians and the press, but his determination never wavered. 
The Mobile Press-Register recently editorialized that Pittman brought 
many changes to the city, noting he ``changed Mobile for the better and 
forever.''
  If Judge Pittman was an outspoken advocate for civil rights and equal 
justice for our community he was also a man solely devoted to public 
service. In all, he sat on the bench for 55 years, taking great pride 
in his vocation and seeking little reward other than the knowledge that 
he did what was right.
  On behalf of the people of South Alabama, I would like to extend my 
condolences to his wife, Lily Lea, their children, Karen, Lee, Joe, 
Walter, and Lea, and their many grandchildren and friends. You are all 
in our thoughts and prayers.

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