[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 96 (Thursday, June 16, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E931]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING COL. WILLIAM BREEZE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 16, 2016

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life 
and memory of Col. William Breeze of Cedar Grove, North Carolina, a 
dear friend, dedicated patriot, and one of the most civic-minded 
individuals I have ever known. Col. Breeze died on June 7 at the age of 
97 at the Croasdaile Retirement Community in Durham. My wife Lisa and I 
remember Bill fondly and want to extend our best wishes to his family.
   Bill grew up in northern Orange County and studied agriculture at 
the North Carolina State University--the start of a lifetime of loyalty 
and support (Bill had a full supply of red NCSU blazers.). In 1943, he 
married Elizabeth McKnight, beginning a sixty-year partnership that 
ended with her death in 2003.
   Bill joined the Army Air Corps during World War II, serving as a 
skilled bomber pilot, and completed his career in the Air Force thirty 
years later. He was awarded the Legion of Merit and Distinguished 
Flying Cross.
   I first got to know Bill when he returned to North Carolina after 
his military retirement, becoming a highly successful farmer and taking 
on one civic, church, or political leadership role after another. For 
years, he was Governor Jim Hunt's main liaison in northern Orange 
County, and when I first ran for Congress in 1986, Bill helped me 
immensely in getting around that territory. He made politics personal 
and enjoyable. It was quite an experience going to a rural church 
supper with Bill Breeze: he knew everyone, and could engage people from 
all walks of life with wit and warmth. Beneath it all, he was a 
committed citizen who looked at personal engagement and community 
betterment as the heart of politics. My admiration for his generosity 
and dedication knows no bounds.
   As Bill eased out of active farming, he donated a portion of his 
land to North Carolina State University to be used as an incubator for 
young farmers, encouraging them to pursue sustainable farming--the 
Breeze Farm project. He also established a scholarship program for 
agriculture students at NCSU.
   As Bill Breeze's full, rich, and caring life comes to an end, many 
North Carolinians have reason to give thanks for his many contributions 
and the lives he has touched. I am pleased to join in this tribute, for 
Bill Breeze exemplified love of country, service to community, and 
politics at its best in ways that will inspire me and many others for 
the rest of our lives.

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