[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 143 (Thursday, November 20, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1644]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF ALICE LEE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BRADLEY BYRNE

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 20, 2014

  Mr. BYRNE. Mr. Speaker, there are some people you encounter in life 
who are just truly remarkable individuals. The first time I met Alice 
Lee from Monroe County, Alabama, I could tell she was one of them.
   As a newly minted lawyer, I had to travel to Monroeville, Alabama, 
to work on a legal matter with a local lawyer by the name of Alice Lee. 
Ms. Lee was not just any lawyer though. As one of the few women who 
practiced law in Alabama before World War II, she was quite a dynamic 
figure.
   She was an expert of the law and incredibly gracious to me. When she 
spoke on matters of the law, people listened. She continued to actively 
practice law until after her 100th Birthday, making her the oldest 
practicing attorney in Alabama history.
   Outside of the courtroom, Alice Lee was very active in the United 
Methodist Church. In fact, she was the first female to lead the 
Alabama-West Florida Conference delegation to the church's general 
conference. She appropriately has an award named in her honor that is 
presented to other women who have shown a commitment to God and 
leadership.
   As the years went by, on occasion I would stop by Monroeville to say 
hello to Ms. Lee and catch up. She was just the kind of person that you 
enjoyed being around.
   Sadly, on November 17, Alice Lee died at the age of 103. No one will 
ever be able to fill her shoes as a true trailblazer and student of the 
law. Retired minister Thomas Lane Butts of Monroeville put it best when 
he said, ``Whenever there was a question in the community that no one 
could answer, the saying was, `Go ask Miss Alice. Her death is like the 
closing of a great library.' ''
   Mr. Speaker, I know I join with countless others throughout 
Monroeville and the state of Alabama in sharing our condolences with 
the family of Alice Lee. She will be deeply missed.

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