[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 175 (Tuesday, October 30, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1477-E1478]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  RECOGNIZING SGT. PHILLIP WAYNE BELL

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 30, 2018

  Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ran into my longtime friend 
Wayne Bell at Barnes Barber Shop in Knoxville recently and decided that 
I wanted my colleagues and others to learn of his great service to our 
City, State, and Nation.
  Sgt. Phillip Wayne Bell is a veteran of the United States Marine 
Corp. While the importance of his military service cannot be 
downplayed, he is especially known for his 53 1/2 years of service to 
the Knoxville Police Department. In fact, he is the longest serving 
officer in the City of Knoxville and the State of Tennessee.
  Wayne began as a patrol officer and moved to supervising the parking 
ticket division before moving to the court under the honorable Judge 
Rosson. He also supervised all of the crossing guards for the city of 
Knoxville for decades.
  The average person can go through life not knowing many police 
officers, but in Knoxville over the past several decades, the one 
police officer, who was probably the most known to the general public, 
other than maybe the Chief of Police, was Sgt. Wayne Bell in his role 
as the original ``Eye in the Sky.''
  The Eye in the Sky program in which Sgt. Bell delivered traffic 
reports from a helicopter was an innovative joint effort between the 
Knoxville Police Department and radio stations WNOX and WIVK. This type 
of collaboration between a private business and government was a 
novelty when it started and remains a rarity today.
  Sgt. Bell earned numerous proclamations and awards for his traffic 
reports but he is also credited with unraveling traffic snarls, 
catching criminals and assisting in the betterment of our community. In 
one especially notable instance, he even landed the copter in the 
middle of the interstate to stop a chase and saved countless lives in 
the process.
  Knoxville is located at the junction of two of the longest 
Interstates in the Nation, I-75/I-40. Unfortunately, the original I-75/
I-40 interchange at one time was also the biggest traffic bottleneck in 
the region. It was Sgt. Wayne Bell in his traffic reports who bestowed 
the nickname ``Malfunction Junction'' on this interchange.
  The interchange and the traffic jams it created are so legendary that 
there was even a song called ``Malfunction Junction'' that frequently 
played on local radio in the 1980s. Even though this interchange has 
since been reconstructed and improved in recent decades, most people in 
the Knoxville area still refer to it as ``Malfunction Junction.''
  Sgt. Bell entertained radio listeners for years and he was especially 
good at cutting up with then-WIVK morning OJ ``Claude the Cat'' and his 
cast of characters. Although the radio station eventually changed from 
a helicopter to a plane, Sgt. Bell continued for a total of over 20 
years with the station.
  Sgt. Bell's service to the community extends well beyond his 
professional life. He is a life member and past master of Burlington 
Masonic Lodge. He is a member of the Eastern Star as well as a life 
member and past Monarch of Zelmar Grotto and the past president of 
Southeastern Grotto Association. He is a member of the York Rite and 
Scottish Rite. He is a life member of Shriners Hospitals for Children 
and Kerbela Shriners where he served as Treasurer, Recorder and 
Potentate. He is a member of the Order of the ``Q'' and past director 
of the Royal Order of Jesters.
  As a Shriner and a Mason for over 50 years, Sgt. Bell literally 
helped hundreds of children and families get the medical and burn 
assistance they needed through the Shriners Hospital and Burns 
Institutes. If he received a call in the middle of the night of a 
burned child three states away, by the time the phone was hung up that 
child was on a plane on the way to wherever they needed to be for their 
care. When he first began as a Mason and Shriner he entertained 
children for years as was ``Danny the Clown.'' While Potentate of 
Kerbela Temple during the annual Shrine Circus, Sgt. Bell entered the 
ring every show riding an elephant.
  Wayne is especially remembered for the patriotic programs that he has 
performed for over 60 years with his wife Mary. The two entertained and 
educated children and adults with a program to help understand and 
appreciate our Flag and Country. During the 1970's, Sgt. Bell performed 
this patriotic program during the dedication of the bells at the 
International Peace Garden on the border of North Dakota and Manitoba, 
with representatives from both Canada and the United States in 
attendance.
  I have personally worked with Sgt. Bell for over 20 years when he has 
represented KPD as an escort and chaperone for the annual AAA Safety 
Patrol trip to Washington, D.C. The Safety Patrol trip is a tradition 
that goes back over 60 years in which middle school students come to 
our Nation's Capital for a

[[Page E1478]]

whirlwind weekend tour to learn about our history and government. At 
its highpoint, this annual trip consisted of over 40 busses of 
students, chaperones and guides.
  East Tennessee is one of the few regions in the Nation that still 
participates in this tradition. My own first personal visit to 
Washington, D.C. occurred on this trip when I was in sixth grade, long 
before my father was elected to Congress. The high point of the trip is 
a visit to the Capitol Building in which I give a tour and talk in the 
House Chamber and complete it with a group picture on the front steps.
  Most everyone in local law enforcement today in Knox County and 
Knoxville City including UT Police know Sgt. Bell because he was just a 
guy who reached out and helped anyone and everyone he could. He is the 
true definition of a humanitarian and community leader. Even when he 
was in charge of security for two major companies while a policeman, 
and as a Shriner, he included others by giving them the opportunity for 
extra work, community service. Whatever was needed to make Knoxville a 
better community, he did it.
  Wayne is the father of two boys, Mark and Dan. He also has three 
grandchildren, Kristopher, Jonathan and Brandon along with a deceased 
grandchild Peyton. His wife of 54 years, Mary, is retired from KUB and 
has put up with Wayne all this time despite him never ever slowing 
down.
  The Nation is a better place today because of the life Wayne Bell has 
led. He has touched thousands in good and positive ways, and I wanted 
to honor him by this recognition.

                          ____________________