[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 139 (Tuesday, October 8, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H6354]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE LIFE OF MARVIN COGHILL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Holding) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HOLDING. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to pay tribute to 
my friend Marvin Coghill, a great North Carolinian who passed away on 
August 18. Marvin was an international leader in the tobacco industry, 
but much more than this, he loved the Old North State, and his many 
acts of kindness and generosity exemplify the good and humble man that 
he was.
  Marvin was born and raised in a farming community in Vance County. 
Always the diplomat, Marvin studied at NC State University for a year, 
then went up the road to rival UNC-Chapel Hill. His college days were 
cut short in 1952, though, when he joined the U.S. Navy and honorably 
served our country in the Korean War.
  The end of Marvin's military service marked the beginning of his 
career with Standard Commercial Tobacco Company in London in 1957. He 
traveled thousands of miles from eastern North Carolina on behalf of 
Standard Commercial, eventually settling in Thailand in 1963, where he 
married his first wife, Tomoe.
  Rising through the ranks, Marvin was named president and CEO of 
Standard Commercial in 1980. A year later, his adventure came full 
circle when he returned to North Carolina. For the rest of his life, he 
called Wilson his home. A man of great talents, he continued to lead 
Standard Commercial until his retirement in 2000.
  In his later years, Marvin would be honored with countless local 
awards and recognitions, and many organizations, including Wilson 
Medical Center Foundation, the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club, and 
the Tobacco Farm Life Museum benefited from Marvin's generosity.
  Marvin also became deeply involved as a cofounder of Wilson Youth 
United, an organization dedicated to improving the prospects of at-risk 
youths.
  But that was just like Marvin. He had personally helped pay for many 
young folks to attend college, and after retirement, he redirected his 
considerable talents towards improving his community.
  It was also in retirement that he married fellow Henderson native, 
Anne Coghill.
  One of Marvin's great contributions to the world was his love of 
people. With his impeccable manners and gift of storytelling, any 
conversation with Marvin was a real delight. He saw what men and women 
were capable of, and throughout his life, he always brought out the 
best in people. Always outwardly focused, Marvin looked for ways to 
enrich the lives of people around him.
  Through the years, you'd often find Marvin enjoying breakfast at the 
Country Restaurant in Wilson. He was very modest, and you would never 
expect, when you first met him, that you were talking to one of the 
true titans of the tobacco industry worldwide.
  But you were always touched by his big heart and bigger personality, 
and each and every one of us is a better person for having met and 
known my friend Marvin Coghill. He will be greatly missed by me and 
many others throughout the world.

                          ____________________