[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 134 (Thursday, September 17, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H6089]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         DeLIGHT BREIDEGAM, JR.

  (Mr. DENT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleague 
Representative Ryan Costello in celebrating the life of and remembering 
DeLight Breidegam, Jr.
  If you have a Deka battery in your car, your motorcycle, or tractor, 
it is the offspring of a product manufactured by his company, East Penn 
Manufacturing, and developed by DeLight and his business partner, Karl 
Gasche.
  DeLight started his business with his father at the age of 20. He and 
his father, DeLight, Sr., worked tirelessly, both at their small 
company and at part-time jobs, to help make ends meet. Through their 
tenacious talent, DeLight grew a business that now employs over 7,000 
people in Berks County, Pennsylvania, and beyond.
  I just wanted to say it was an honor for me to know this great man. 
He drove me around his battery empire. He showed me his farmhouse, and 
I said: ``How did this business begin, DeLight?''
  He said: ``Well, my father sent me out in the backyard to fix the 
battery in the tractor.''
  I said: ``DeLight, I am just glad he didn't send you out there to go 
shovel manure. We would have a fertilizer empire right here in this 
community.''
  Nevertheless, he was an extraordinary man, generous, kind, caring. He 
supported universities--like Moravian College--Lehigh Valley Hospital, 
and so many other charities.
  I wanted to pay tribute to the life and memory of DeLight Breidegam, 
Jr.

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