[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 14, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E187-E188]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN RECOGNITION OF MRS. EUNICE L. MIXON

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 14, 2018

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
work and service of a distinguished educator, political activist, and 
dear friend to my wife, Vivian and me, Mrs. Eunice L. Mixon. She was 
honored as the 2018 Distinguished Older Georgian, a title given by the 
Georgia Council on Aging to honor a Georgian, of at least 80 years of 
age, who is a role model for positive aging and has made significant 
contribution to society through occupational or volunteer efforts. An 
award reception was held for Eunice at the Georgia State Capitol at 2 
p.m. on Thursday, February 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia.
  Eunice L. Mixon was born in Tifton, Georgia on April 11, 1931 to the 
union of the late Robert and Carrie Lastinger. A product of the Tift 
County School System, she went on to attend classes at Abraham Baldwin 
Agricultural College and earn both Master's and Specialist Degrees in 
Science Education from the University of Georgia.
  Winston Churchill said, ``We make a living by what we get, but we 
make a life by what we give.'' Through every stage of her life, Eunice 
has always given of herself to others. She served as an educator for 30 
years within the Tift County School System and at Abraham Baldwin 
Agricultural College before redirecting her passion to politics. Her 
first official post in politics came in 1974 when she became the Tift 
County campaign chair for former Governor George Busbee. She also 
served as a delegate to the 1988 and 1992 National Democratic 
Conventions, and as a member of the Georgia Democratic Executive 
Committee. Over the years, she has helped campaign and fundraise for 
several political figures including former Georgia Lieutenant. 
Governors Zell Miller, and Pierre Howard, former Georgia Governors Roy 
Barnes, Joe Frank Harris, and Sonny Perdue, former Georgia Commissioner 
of Agriculture Tommy Irvin, former Georgia Secretary of State Max 
Cleland, U.S. Representative Charles Hatcher, former U.S. Senator Sam 
Nunn, former U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton as well as 
yours truly.
  Eunice's distinguished civil service has been mirrored by her 
extensive involvement in her community. In conjunction with her 
professional accomplishments in politics, she served on several boards, 
including the Georgia Student Finance Commission, Vocational Education 
Task Force, Advisory Council on Consolidation of Education Programs, 
Georgia Civil War Commission, Joint Board Liaison Committee, and the 
Georgia State Bar Disciplinary Board. She has served as the doorkeeper 
to the Georgia State Senate, and has served on the State Bar of 
Georgia's Investigative Panel, the Tifton/Tift County Library Board, 
the Coastal Plain Regional Library Board, the Georgia Student Finance 
Commission Board, the Heritage Trust Commission Board, the Agrirama 
Foundation and the State Election Board.
  Eunice received several awards for her extensive work in politics. 
These include induction into the Tift County Chamber of Commerce's Wall 
of Fame in 2014; the Liberty Bell Award by the Tifton Judicial Circuit 
Bar Association in 2016; a spot on the 40 Most Influential South 
Georgians; and in 2010, the State Bar of Georgia honored Eunice with an 
award in her name.
  Eunice has accomplished many things in her life but none of these 
would have been possible without the enduring support of her late 
husband, Albert and their sons, Johnny and Jimmy.
  On a personal note, I have been blessed to know Eunice for many years 
and I can say without reservation that she is one of the most 
passionate and warmhearted individuals I have ever met. I am proud to 
consider Eunice and the Mixon family friends of longstanding.

[[Page E188]]

  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me and the more than 730,000 
residents of Georgia's Second Congressional District, in extending our 
sincerest congratulations to Mrs. Eunice L. Mixon for receiving the 
title of 2018 Distinguished Older Georgian and for her many years of 
service to her community, state, and nation.

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