[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 57 (Tuesday, April 8, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H2996]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN HONOR OF MILLARD AND J.J. OAKLEY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Miller of Florida). The Chair recognizes 
the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Black) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor two beloved 
Tennesseans who have dedicated their lives and service to our State, 
Millard and Joyce Annette Oakley.
  A lifelong resident of Overton County and a graduate from Tennessee 
Tech University, Millard Oakley is a true jack-of-all-trades. He 
proudly represented the Upper Cumberland for four terms in the 
Tennessee General Assembly, and he continued his service as a member of 
the Tennessee Board of Regents and as the State insurance commissioner.
  Today, he ensures that small businesses in our district have the 
capital needed to expand their reach and hire more workers as the 
director of the First National Bank of Tennessee; and he helps spread 
the gospel message as the director for the Thomas Nelson Publishers, 
the world's largest Bible publishing company.
  His loving wife, Joyce, or J.J., as she is known, is a West Virginia 
native, but she got to Tennessee just as soon as she could and met her 
husband-to-be while attending the University of Tennessee law school.
  While the Oakleys' accomplishments are many, they are best known for 
their generosity to the students and families of my district. In 2004, 
the Oakleys sponsored a Vince Gill concert that helped Tennessee Tech 
University raise more than $140,000 for the new nursing school.
  They also offered Tennessee Tech the use of their family farm and 
donated $2 million to fund the school's Science, Technology, 
Engineering, and Mathematics Center, the largest single gift in the 
university's history.
  Additionally, the Oakleys were instrumental in recruiting a satellite 
campus of Volunteer State Community College to Livingston and gave 
generously to causes such as the Overton County Public Library.

                              {time}  1030

  Today, the Oakleys can still be seen around my district visiting the 
library that bears their name or walking on the campus of Tennessee 
Tech and meeting students who have personally benefited from their 
contributions.
  People like Millard and J.J. Oakley truly earn Tennessee its nickname 
of the ``Volunteer State.''
  I am deeply grateful for their friendship and their example of 
selfless generosity. May we all aspire to live such a life.

                          ____________________