[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 117 (Thursday, August 2, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S5959]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING SHELBY HARRIS

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the life of Mr. 
Shelby Harris, from Rock Island, IL. When he passed away on July 25, 
2012, at the age of 111, he was the oldest man in the country and the 
third oldest man in the world.
  Mr. Harris was born in Indiana on March 31, 1901. That same year 
President William McKinley was assassinated and Vice President Theodore 
Roosevelt took over the White House, there were only 45 stars on the 
American flag, and the life expectancy in this country was just 47 
years of age.
  Throughout his 111 years, Mr. Harris lived a varied and rich life. In 
Indiana, he worked at a coal mine. He moved to the Quad Cities in 1942 
where he enlisted in the Army during World War II. He also worked for 
the former Union Malleable and the John Deere Foundry in East Moline. 
He outlived two wives and three daughters. His oldest grandchild is 57 
years old, and he was a great-great-great-great grandfather. Mr. Harris 
was a lifelong Democrat and credited his longevity to his faith in God.
  Age did not slow him down. Mr. Harris served as a deacon of Second 
Baptist Church until he was 102 years old and had a bucket list that 
included getting remarried and playing baseball. A month after his 
111th birthday, Mr. Harris was able to cross baseball off his list 
after he threw out the first pitch at a Quad Cities River Bandits minor 
league baseball game.
  Living beyond the age of 110 made Mr. Harris a supercentenarian. This 
designation is particularly rare for a man because women typically live 
the longest all over the world. The oldest person in the world today is 
a woman who has reached age 115.
  Mr. Harris will be missed by the staff at the Rock Island Nursing and 
Rehabilitation Center where he lived since he was 105 years of age. For 
the past 5 years the nursing home has thrown a big party on his 
birthday, and the staff there plan to hold a remembrance for him next 
year on the date.
  It is my honor to recognize the long and full life of Mr. Shelby 
Harris.

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