[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 35 (Thursday, March 3, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H1121]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  0915
                      TRIBUTE TO COACH JIM BELDEN

  (Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a beloved 
member of the Hamilton County, Indiana, community, Jim Belden.
  Jim was a dedicated public servant and a devoted husband, father, and 
grandfather. Sadly, he passed away after a battle with cancer. He will 
be dearly missed by the Hoosier community, but what a legacy he left.
  Jim left his mark as a family man, a teacher, a U.S. Navy veteran, 
and a 23-year member of the Hamilton County Council, but he is best 
known for being one of the best football coaches in Indiana, an Indiana 
Football Hall of Fame coach. I am the daughter of a high school 
football coach as well.
  For more than 30 years, Jim coached and mentored young men in 
Westfield, Noblesville, and Carmel High Schools. He led Carmel High 
School to four State championship titles and is the 12th winningest 
coach in Indiana State history.
  I attended his memorial service just last weekend. There were 
hundreds of players there. I heard from those whose lives had been 
touched. There were those he coached who were now not quite so young, 
because he coached in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and the 2000s.
  I also heard from the students he taught, the assistant coaches, the 
faculty he worked with, the community he served, and, most importantly, 
his family, who loved him so dearly.
  I offer my deepest condolences to his family, especially his wife 
Bev. They had just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. We all 
mourn his loss and cherish his memory. What a legacy lives on in Jim 
Belden.

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