[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 37 (Thursday, March 1, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO JUDGE JOHN HODGES BENTLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT B. ADERHOLT

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 1, 2018

  Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize and honor Judge 
John Hodges Bentley on the occasion of his retirement as Circuit Judge 
of the 25th Judicial Circuit of Alabama. I am proud to recognize Judge 
Bentley for his many years of public service on the bench and the 
practice of law. He is truly a man who embodies the American principles 
of hard work and devotion to one's community, state and nation.
  Judge Bentley is a native of Kinston, North Carolina. After 
graduating from Grainger High School, he was appointed to the United 
States Military Academy in West Point, New York where he graduated in 
1972 and was commissioned into the infantry. While in the Army, Judge 
Bentley served five years on active duty commanding various infantry 
units on the East German-Czech Border during the Cold War. He finished 
out his active duty Army career as an instructor in the Leadership 
Department at Ft. Benning, Georgia.
  Once out of the Army, Judge Bentley attended the Cumberland School of 
Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and graduated in 
1980. He practiced law for twenty-two years in Birmingham and Hamilton, 
Alabama, many of those years serving as the City Attorney for the City 
of Hamilton. In 2002, he was appointed to the bench as Circuit Judge of 
the 25th Judicial Circuit serving Marion and Winston Counties. Judge 
Bentley served in this capacity until his retirement on January 15, 
2018.
  Judge Bentley is a member of the Hamilton First United Methodist 
Church and has served as both Lay Leader and Sunday School Teacher. 
Furthermore, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Alabama 
Emmaus Community. He is also one of the founders of the Weldy Home, an 
emergency shelter for abused, abandoned and neglected children.
  He is married to Judy Sandlin Bentley, and they have two children, 
Carrie and Samuel, and four grandchildren, Lydia, William, Caroline and 
Jonathan.
  Judge Bentley is very respected by the people of Marion and Winston 
Counties for his honesty and dedication, and I am proud to call him my 
friend.
  Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege to honor Judge John Hodges 
Bentley on his many accomplishments and for his enduring impact on his 
community, state and nation. I join his family, friends and colleagues 
in wishing him God's richest blessings as he enters the next chapter of 
his life in retirement.

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