[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 61 (Monday, April 28, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E596-E597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING REV. FRANCE A. DAVIS OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, PASTOR OF 
                         CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JIM MATHESON

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 28, 2014

  Mr. MATHESON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an exemplary man of 
faith, courage, and civic engagement. Reverend France A. Davis has 
served as Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Salt Lake City for the 
last 40 years. He is a fixture in the community and a role model for 
many of its citizens. He is admired throughout the state as a man of 
integrity as he leads and inspires his congregation; as a man of 
compassion in his fair treatment of everyone--particularly those who 
are marginalized in society; and as a man of dedication to the 
university students he has taught and the civic community he leads.
  Born on a large farm in rural Georgia, Rev. Davis learned early the 
value of hard work and education while working and studying alongside 
his eight brothers and sisters. He was blessed with caring and humble 
parents who dedicated themselves to their faith and family. Recognizing 
the value of education, young France committed himself to reading and 
the pursuit of academic excellence.
  While attending Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, France met Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr. as a student reporter for the school newspaper. That 
experience had a profound effect on him and Dr. King became a mentor. 
Recognizing the gross injustice of racial inequality and violence, 
France soon joined Dr. King in civil rights demonstrations throughout 
the South, including the Selma to Montgomery March and the March on 
Washington where Dr. King delivered his ``I Have a Dream'' speech. He 
was particularly moved by Dr. King's hallmark traits of nonviolence and 
love. It was this example that would eventually help lead him to the 
ministry.
  After his participation in the Civil Rights Movement, France served 
his country honorably in the United States Air Force before returning 
to school to resume his studies. In the years that followed, he earned 
six academic degrees, in Arts and Humanities, Afro-American Studies, 
Rhetoric, Religion, Mass Communication, and Ministry. He has approached 
all facets of his life and service with this same tireless devotion.
  Joining Calvary Baptist in 1972, he became Pastor in 1974. Beyond 
weekly preaching and counseling with members of his faithful 
congregation, he has become an advocate of numerous causes in the civic 
community. Among

[[Page E597]]

dozens of other positions, Rev. Davis has served on the Salt Lake 
Community College Board of Trustees, the Utah State Board of Regents, 
the Utah Board of Corrections, the Salt Lake NAACP Board, the 
Governors' Policy Council, and the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors 
Bureau. Under his guidance, the 122-year old church built a new 47,000 
square foot home a decade ago. He has led civic and welfare 
organizations, is a renowned public speaker, has become a resource for 
the governor's and mayor's offices, and after touching hundreds of 
students in his years as a professor at the University of Utah, is 
retiring this spring. An avid reader, he is also an accomplished author 
of four books. Perhaps most importantly, he has served as a voice of 
reason and sound judgment to transcend social divisions and form bonds 
of understanding in the community.
  With his wife Willene by his side, he has raised three children and 
has three grandchildren and one great-grandson. I would like to take 
this opportunity to recognize the extraordinary legacy of Rev. France 
A. Davis, who has been referred to as ``one of Utah's human 
treasures,'' and who we honor today for his 40 years of service to 
Calvary Baptist Church and the Salt Lake community.

                          ____________________