[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 93 (Monday, June 13, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E891]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING EDNA BEVERLY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 13, 2016

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable public servant, Mrs. Edna Beverly.
  Mrs. Beverly was born on a plantation in Sidon, Mississippi to the 
late Roosevelt and Betsy Oliver. Mrs. Beverly had to go to the field 
with her grandparents (the late Albert and Emma Oliver) and parents, 
where they were sharecroppers earning $5 a week. She had to stay near 
the water truck because she was young. She would not be afraid because 
she could see and hear them singing spirituals, until they were out of 
site. She would then be there alone for hours until they returned. Her 
parents and grandparents encouraged her to do and be the best that she 
could be.
  Mrs. Beverly attended elementary school on the plantation at St. John 
Baptist Church Elementary. The school consisted of only one classroom.
  Her family decided to relocate to Chicago, Illinois when she was only 
12 years old. Mrs. Beverly attended Marshall High School and Taylor 
Business Institute in Chicago, where she graduated with honors 
receiving a degree in Computerized Accounting.
  She accepted her call to the Ministry in 1991, obtained her license 
in 1995 and was ordained in 1996.
  Mrs. Beverly worked with the youth department, teaching Sunday 
School, Bible Study, and spiritual songs for many years.
  She later moved to Ruleville, Mississippi in 2001, and married Mr. 
Marvin Beverly, who was a school teacher at Ruleville Central High 
School. They were happily married until his death in 2005.
  She worked for several years as a remedial reading tutor at Ruleville 
Central Elementary School serving 437 students.
  Mrs. Beverly has received several awards: a Certificate of 
Appreciation from Governor Haley Barbour; AmeriCorp Leadership 
Community Service; and Congressional Community Service.
  She became the first black City Clerk/Tax Collector for the City of 
Ruleville in 2005.
  Mrs. Beverly's greatest passion is her Ministry and her love for 
children. She is currently serving as Sunday School Superintendent, and 
assisting her Pastor, Rev. Claude Raine, at Mallalieu United Methodist 
Church in Ruleville.
  Mrs. Beverly is the proud mother of four wonderful children, the 
grandmother of ten amazing grandchildren, and the great grandmother of 
one.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mrs. Edna 
Beverly for her dedication to serving others and giving back to the 
African American community.

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