[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 20 (Thursday, January 31, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E119]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





            IN MEMORY OF THE HONORABLE JACK T. BRINKLEY, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 31, 2019

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
distinguished public servant, dedicated statesman, mentor, and dear 
friend of longstanding, The Honorable Jack T. Brinkley, Sr. Sadly, Jack 
passed away on January 23, 2019, at the age of 88. His passing marks 
the close of a long and prolific life, and his departure leaves a void 
in the hearts of many Georgians. He leaves behind an impeccable legacy 
of service that will never be forgotten. A funeral service was held on 
Saturday, January 26, 2019, at 2 p.m. at Evangel Temple in Columbus, 
Georgia.
  Jack Thomas Brinkley, Sr. was born on December 22, 1930, to the union 
of the late Lonnie and Stella Brinkley in Faceville, Georgia. A product 
of the Decatur County Public School System, he graduated from 
Attapulgus High School in 1947 and Young Harris College in 1949 before 
working as an educator and basketball coach from 1949 to 1951. In 1951, 
he joined the United States Air Force where he served for 5 years as a 
combat crew pilot. After honorably serving his country, he obtained his 
Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Georgia School of Law, 
was admitted to the bar, and became a prominent lawyer with Young, 
Hollis, and Mosely and later with Coffin and Brinkley, both in 
Columbus, Georgia.
  He served in the General Assembly of Georgia for two one-year terms 
from 1965 to 1966. While serving as the State Representative for 
District 112, he was appointed Chairman of the Local Affairs Committee, 
authored legislation to require phenylketonuria (PKU) testing for 
newborn infants, and spearheaded the protest against the closure of the 
Warm Springs Institute for which he later sponsored funding 
legislation.
  In 1966, he was elected to Congress from the 3rd District of Georgia 
at age 35, and served for eight terms, retiring from the 97th Congress 
in 1983. While serving as the representative for Georgia's Third 
Congressional District, Jack authored several key pieces of 
legislation. Following the Vietnam War, he was the author of 
legislation establishing the Gold Star Wives Charter. He also authored 
dual use legislation in Civil Defense during the Carter administration 
which authorized, by statute, federal response to natural and wartime 
disasters. Jack was also the author of legislation designating 
Andersonville as a National Historic Site, which transferred it from 
the Department of the Army to the Department of Interior. With the help 
of his Co-Chairman, the Honorable Rudy Hayes of Americus, he was able 
to place the Georgia Memorial at the site.
  During his last Congressional term before retirement, he was Chairman 
of the Military Construction Subcommittee, which had jurisdiction over 
military acquisitions and disposals, and as such, blocked the transfer 
of land at Fort Gillam chosen for the Region IV Veteran's cemetery. 
Subsequently, under Jack's leadership, the Fort Mitchell VA cemetery 
was approved by the Reagan Administration.
  During the last terms of his service in Congress, there was intense 
competition for the location of an army plan for One Station Unit 
Training (OSUT), where basic infantry training was to be combined with 
advanced infantry training to reduce costs. Endorsements from the New 
England Mid-West Coalition for Fort Drum in New York and Senator Strom 
Thurmond for Fort Jackson in South Carolina initially blocked the 
Army's choice of Fort Benning. However, Jack's move to Chairman of the 
Military Construction Subcommittee led to the authorization of the 
reception station at Sand Hill at Fort Benning. Jack was also pivotal 
in establishing Interstate 185 connecting Interstate 85 to Columbus, 
Georgia. As a Congressman, Jack placed a huge emphasis on constituent 
service and attendance, as he was known for passionately advocating for 
citizens facing the heavy hand of bureaucracy and rarely missed a vote 
or quorum call.
  He was a CIVITAN, a Master Mason, and an attorney for 50 years, but 
he was a Christian for all of his life. He was baptized when he was 
almost ten years old at Betts' Mill Pond and he practiced the 
requirements of Micah to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with 
thy God. He faithfully took his family to Edgewood Baptist Church and 
taught Sunday School there for many years, before joining Evangel 
Temple, where he served until his passing.
  Jack was more than a legislator, he was a servant to all humankind. 
He gave of himself to countless causes and organizations. Dr. Maya 
Angelou once said that ``I've learned that you shouldn't go through 
life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw 
something back.'' Jack threw a prodigious amount of love and service 
back to the state and nation he loved so dearly.
  Jack achieved much in his life but none of it would have been 
possible without the love and support of his loving family. While he 
was preceded in death by his late and dearly beloved wife, Lois Kite 
Brinkley, and his son, Jack, Jr.; his legacy lives on through his 
dearly beloved wife, Sally; his son, Fred; and a host of family and 
friends who will miss him deeply.
  On a personal note, Jack Brinkley was a mentor to me. But more 
importantly, he was indeed a role model for my career in public 
service. From his strong example of constituent service, to his 
eloquent use of poems and appropriate quotations in his oral and 
written presentations. Jack Brinkley has been the model I have sought 
to emulate. He held fast to his promise to ``remember who I am, where 
I'm from, and who sent me.'' The world and human kind are better 
because Jack passed this way.
  Jack was truly a great representative for Southwest Georgia and a 
stellar example of how a public servant should serve his constituents. 
His friendship, leadership, and counsel will be sorely missed.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife, Vivian, and me, 
along with thousands in the Chattahoochee Valley and across America in 
paying tribute to former Georgia Congressman Jack T. Brinkley, Sr. for 
a life well lived and in extending our deepest sympathies to his 
family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time of 
bereavement. Moreover, we pray that they will be consoled and comforted 
by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks, and months 
ahead.

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