[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 123 (Friday, August 1, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1296-E1297]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                HONORING TOMMY ``MR. NOTTIE'' GUNNS, JR.

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 31, 2014

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a man 
of noble character from Shaw, MS in Bolivar County.
  I believe that when you give honor and recognition to someone they 
should truly deserve it. I am always happy when I meet someone or hear 
their story about overcoming, rising from obscurity, coming from meager 
beginnings but leaving a legacy although unaware; which doesn't get the 
recognition and thanks it really deserves. This is why I want to honor 
Mr. Tommy Gunns, Jr. a man of ``noble'' character.
  Childhood: Nottie was originally from Egypt, MS in Chickasaw County, 
MS. He was born in the year 1900 to Mr. Tommy Gunns, Sr. and Mrs. 
Alberta Gunns. Nottie was raised in a home with his mother, his only 
sister named Alma, and his stepfather, ``Mr. Brick''. His parents were 
sharecroppers and struggled; which was the backdrop for an unstable 
home environment that easily led to abuse. And Nottie was often times 
the one subjected to the abuse (verbal and physical) by his stepfather. 
Since his mother could not protect him and because of years of abuse, 
he developed the drive early in life to want ``better,'' so he planned 
to run away, someday. In his plan, he always included Alma, his young 
sister.
  The day came when he ran away and took Alma with him, never returning 
home. Nottie ran away and arrived in Shaw, MS in 1914. He was just a 
young teenager when he ran away. When Nottie arrived in Shaw, he worked 
as many odd jobs as he could find and raised his sister alone; vowing 
to never let anyone else abuse him or his little sister. In fact, he 
was so protective of her that he never eased up until he had approved 
of the man she married. He had to be assured the man was not abusive 
and was a good provider for Alma.
  A Young Man and Family Man: As a young man working in Shaw he was 
able to acquire many skills and a reputation as a fast learner, hard 
worker, and a person of good moral character, which equated to a 
nonsense type of reputation. He was still determined to have a better 
life and wanted to be respected and treated like a man so he carried 
himself like a man. Nottie eventually earned that reputation and people 
began calling him Mr. Nottie or Mr. Gunns. Some of the jobs he worked 
included driving trucks to haul logs, a loader at the Shaw lumber yard, 
and sharecropping as a small farmer. While working at the Shaw lumber 
yard, he learned the skill of carpentry; and became known as a master 
carpenter around Shaw. Everyone wanted him to do their work.
  Mr. Gunns eventually met and married, Nancy Hunt of Shaw, MS. The 
couple had ten children, 2 died shortly after child birth. Mr. Gunns 
wanted a big loving family that was full of happy times but serious 
about life. He directed his journey and based goals in life on his 
childhood, all that he never had, he was determined to experience 
before dying. His and Nancy's children are Berna ``BB'' Gunns-Williams, 
Nathaniel ``Baby Sister'' Gunns-Clark, Tommy ``Win'' Gunns, Jr. 
(although he is the 3rd), Christine Gunns-Gardner, Torries Gunns, 
Maurine ``Morgan'' Gunns-Gray, Shirley Ann ``Shelly'' Gunns-Juette, and 
Lonnie Lee Gunns.
  As a husband, father, and community member, Mr. Gunns saw the need to 
become more involved. You see he wanted to be a role model for his 
children; he wanted to make sure they had a good upbringing and 
education, so he felt he needed to get involved in the community and 
help make it happen. Mr. Gunns served as a volunteer fireman for the 
city. He wasn't trying to be a hero or win a popularity campaign; he 
just wanted a better life for his children. Mr. Gunns number one 
priority was education for all colored children.
  Since he was very vocal about education he was asked to become a 
member of the Board of Trustees for the Shaw Colored School.
  The Shaw Colored School only educated children to the 8th grade. 
Beyond 8th grade the colored children had to travel to Greenville or 
surrounding towns for a high school education. Mr. Gunns helped changed 
that. He convinced the Board of Trustees to agree to vote on 
establishing a curriculum for 9th through 12th grades for Shaw students 
to be able to get their high school education. So, under his tutelage 
the first high school graduating class from the Shaw Colored High 
School was in 1949.
  How did he do it? Mr. Gunns had an unyielding faith. That was the 
same faith that brought him as a young teenage runaway with his little 
sister, Alma, safely to Shaw, MS during the early 1900s. His faith in 
God provided him with jobs to take care of himself and his sister as a 
young boy, alone in the Mississippi Delta. His ability to pick up on 
things and learn fast paid off because he became that master carpenter. 
His daughter, Maurine said he could build a house from the ground up. 
He was a devoted member and deacon of the Strangers Home M.B. Church in 
Shaw, where he was laid to rest for eternity. And those trying times 
were no match for his common sense, the old folks called it ``mother 
wit'' for survival. It was the foundation of his approach on how to 
survive in life:

  Financial Policy--never spend all your money. Save some for a rainy 
day.
  Child Rearing--everybody has a role and place. Only adults are in 
charge and children are to stay in their place and do as they are told. 
He called it his no nonsense approach to raising children. He would 
often paraphrase Proverbs 13:24, by saying ``Spare the rod and spoil 
the child.''
  Preparation--your future depends on your education. ``All my children 
are going to college. I had enough children to work and chip in to help 
pay for everyone's college,'' he would say.
  The End: The first of Mr. Gunns children to go to college was Berna 
at the age of 16. This was made possible by two reasons: (1) everyone 
in the family picked and chopped cotton, and (2) his financial policy 
of saving money. The children all knew their earnings went to their 
parents to help provide for the family and save for college. Berna went 
to Tuskegee Institute in 1950 in Tuskegee, AL. Berna graduated before 
he died. He was able to see the first of his children to get a college 
education. His daughter, Berna remembers her father and mother faces as 
they watched her graduate with all her sisters and brothers watching as 
well. They knew they had to do it too. Berna went on to become a self-
employed, self-made millionaire. She started her own company 
``Scrubbles Janitorial Service'' in her home and grew it to become a 
multi-million dollar company in Washington, DC. She was able to live 
that better life because of her fathers' determination to clear the 
path.
  Mr. Gunns didn't live to see another one of his children to go to 
college, he died in 1954 but he had already planted the seeds for 
success. Everyone in the family knew their place and role. Mrs. Gunns, 
his wife and eldest daughter, Berna carried on his mantra for every 
child of his going to college. Mrs. Gunns continued to work as the 
cafeteria manager and cook for the Shaw Colored School.
  Tommy, his eldest son, became the father figure for his siblings. 
Since his father had taught him the carpentry trade, Tommy was able to 
get his father's job at the Shaw Lumber Yard. It was a year later in 
1958 that he got the job because graduating from high school was 
priority in 1957. The family never missed a check; he knew the money 
was going to help pay for his siblings to finish high school and attend 
college. Tommy eventually went to college in 1959 by getting a job with 
Mississippi Vocational College (now called Mississippi Valley State 
University--MVSU) driving the school bus picking up students in Bolivar 
and Sunflower County. That was one of the ways he was able to pay his 
way through college, as well as it served as his transportation to and 
from the College. The other way was when Dean Isaac offered him a work 
study job to help build other buildings on campus (i.e., the 
auditorium, and campus maintenance) because he had seen his work as a 
student. As a requirement for graduation, Tommy had to build something 
to show he had mastered his trade. But the requirement was reconsidered 
when he drove his instructor to Shaw and showed him the house he built 
along with the blueprint he had drawn. When asked how, Tommy told him 
``My Dad is a master carpenter and he taught me this stuff a long time 
ago.'' That house was for his best friend, Roy Magee and the family 
still lives there. In fact, Tommy still has the blueprints he drew. 
Tommy was a part of the team that built the first house on campus for 
the first president of Mississippi Valley State University, Dr. James 
H. White. The house now serves as the National Alumni House on the 
campus of the University. Tommy did not graduate until 1964 because of 
split session with his degree in Industrial Arts. He became the 
Industrial Art instructor for the Shaw School District, working for 30 
years until his retirement.
  All of Mr. Gunns children went to college and became very successful 
in their own rights with good jobs, homes, cars, money to send their 
children to college, and blessed to see retirement, etc. But Berna and 
Tommy stood out as the oldest daughter and son after their father's 
death. As for Mr. Gunns master carpentry skills, his son, Tommy and 
grandson, Undra Gunns (son of Torries and Dorothy Washington-Gunns) 
acquired that skill. So, he lives on in many ways and in many 
accomplishments without even trying to do so, he left a legacy.
  One more mention on how did he do it? Mr. Gunns received only a 2nd 
grade education. He never learned to read or write. But, his 
stepfather, ``Mr. Brick'' taught him how to count. And passed that on 
to his children by

[[Page E1297]]

teaching them how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide. That's all he 
could do in terms of academics. It was his faith in God, his common 
sense, determination, and ability to count money and perform 
mathematical operations in his head, and serve on the school board, 
which sparked change in education in Shaw. All those things got him 
through life and he was destined to accomplish the things he did. ``If 
you don't walk in purpose, you won't walk in destiny.'' Find your 
purpose in life and walk it out (Quote by: Farrah Gray). Now, that's 
how he did it.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in recognizing the 
legacy of Tommy ``Mr. Nottie'' Gunns, Jr. from the Second Congressional 
District of Mississippi.

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