[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 53 (Wednesday, April 2, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING THE REV. FRANCE DAVIS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JASON CHAFFETZ

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 2, 2014

  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Rev. France Davis 
for a remarkable 40-year career building bridges, fighting racial 
discrimination and living the principles he teaches his flock at the 
historic Calvary Baptist Church in Salt Lake City, Utah.
  With his wife Willene by his side, Rev. Davis has both lived and 
taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ, advocating for the impoverished, 
inspiring the young and invigorating the fight against racism. He has 
been a powerful mentor to young people, sponsoring scholarships as well 
as educational programs. His belief that everybody has worth and value, 
nobody is nobody and everybody is somebody has influenced a generation 
of youth.
  Born in 1946 in Gough, Georgia, Rev. Davis graduated from the 
segregated Waynesboro High and Industrial School. He went on to serve 
as an aircraft mechanic in the U.S. Air Force. He has earned five 
college degrees, including a B.A. in rhetoric from Berkeley, a B.S. in 
religion from Westminster College and an M.A. in mass communication 
from University of Utah. Rev. Davis came to Salt Lake City for a one-
year teaching fellowship at the University of Utah, but became an 
integral part of the city's religious and cultural fabric over the next 
four decades.
  Rev. Davis was a pioneer in his own right before coming to Utah in 
1972. He participated in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, 
meeting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in person and marching from Selma 
to Montgomery, Alabama to promote voting rights. He has been a tireless 
advocate for minorities in Utah. His own experiences with racial 
discrimination only inspired him to fight harder for equality. An NAACP 
board member for many years, Rev. Davis was instrumental in making 
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day an official state-recognized holiday. It 
goes without saying that he has been an integral part of Utah's 
cultural evolution on civil rights.
  In addition to his ministry, Rev. Davis is the author of several 
books, has taught at the University of Utah and served as a member of 
the Utah Higher Education Board of Regents. He is also the benefactor 
of a scholarship for minority students. Professionally, he has served 
as the secretary of the Salt Lake Ministerial Association, a member of 
the South Africa Preaching Team for the National Baptist Convention's 
Foreign Mission and as an advisor, vice-president and assistant to the 
Dean of the Intermountain General Baptist Convention.
  Mr. Speaker, Utah is a better place because of the efforts of Rev. 
Davis. We honor his significant contributions, his willingness to be a 
voice for the voiceless, and his personal history of overcoming 
adversity. But most of all, we recognize his example as a teacher and 
follower of the teachings of Jesus Christ.

                          ____________________