[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 24 (Monday, February 10, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E187]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CELEBRATING BERNITA PEEPLES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN R. CARTER

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 10, 2014

  Mr. CARTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Bernita Peeples, 
the newest honoree of the Yellow Rose of Texas Award for her tremendous 
legacy as a Texas woman of outstanding volunteer and public service. A 
pillar of the Belton, TX community, Bernita's life and career is a 
reflection of hard work, activism, and dedication to bringing news to 
central Texas.
  Lucky enough to know what she wanted her life's work to be since she 
was a young lady, Bernita started her career as a reporter for The 
Belton Journal during her senior year of high school. In an age when 
the average worker stays on the job for just over four years, Bernita 
has been faithfully reporting to her desk for 80 years! While 
chronicling stories big and small, as well as producing regular and 
popular columns, she's seen The Belton Journal's circulation climb 
tenfold.
  The unofficial historian of Belton, Bernita's truly seen it all. A 
career that began on a 1927 Royal typewriter witnessed the rise of 
personal computers, the Internet, and social media to transmit the 
news. While reporting on 13 presidential administrations, WWII, and 
nearly a century of American advancement and innovation, she's kept her 
ear to the ground in Belton, never forgetting the community she calls 
home.
  Bernita took breaks from writing and even retired once. But like all 
who have a calling, she couldn't stay away from her profession and soon 
returned to journalism. She still has a desk at The Belton Journal 
office where she writes one feature per week. Even better, she still 
has the typewriter with which she started her career.
  Bernita's work doesn't stop when the paper has gone to the printers. 
She's involved in many organizations, including the Bell County 
Historical Commission and 1874 Church Restoration, for which she posed 
on a motorcycle for a 2010 calendar. She didn't miss a meeting of the 
Belton Rotary Club for 19 years and she was the first woman to receive 
the Belton Area Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Citizen award.
  The people of Belton and central Texas are lucky to have Bernita 
Peeples. She's a local treasure and a fitting recipient of the Yellow 
Rose of Texas Award. I join all who celebrate her enormous 
contributions to journalism and her beloved community.

                          ____________________