[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 171 (Thursday, October 1, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E914]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      HONORING FRANK VARDEMAN, JR.

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. LUCY McBATH

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 1, 2020

  Mrs. McBATH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the life of 
Frank Burton ``Burt'' Vardeman, Jr., a life built on faith, service, 
and family. Mr. Vardeman passed away peacefully on September 13, 2020 
at the age of 95. He is survived by his wife Martha Frances Hay 
Vardeman, their four children Frances, Frank, Cile, and Marty; nine 
grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.
  The first of four brothers, Burt was born in Columbus, Georgia and 
grew up in Covington. He attended public schools and graduated from 
Covington High School in 1942. During his freshman year at North 
Georgia College, Burt was drafted into the United States Army Air 
Corps. He served his country during World War II as a Flight Radio 
Operator on B-24 Liberator bombers with the 15th Air Force, surviving 
31 combat missions over Nazi-occupied Europe. During one mission, Nazis 
destroyed three of the engines on Burt's plane, and he and his 
crewmates considered jumping into the Aegean Sea. Fortunately, they 
spotted an airstrip in the distance, where they landed and were housed 
by the Tuskegee Airmen, who frequently escorted his Bomb Group, while 
waiting for another plane. Burt frequently said throughout his life, 
``I owe my life to the Red Tails.''
  After the war, Burt came home and studied at Auburn University using 
the GI Bill, where he met Martha, his ``Sweetie Pie.'' Graduating in 
1949 with a B.S. in Building Construction, Burt and Martha moved to 
Tuscaloosa, Alabama to join Martha's father, a Presbyterian minister 
who had just been named president of Stillman College, a historically 
black college. Serving as Business and Property Manager at Stillman 
College, Burt helped the school become an accredited four-year 
institution by overseeing the construction and management of IO major 
campus buildings, a considerable achievement during the Civil Rights 
Movement.
  Burt, Martha, and their four children moved to Atlanta in 1965, where 
Burt worked until his retirement in 1989. His accomplishments during 
that career included overseeing the construction and administration of 
the Presbyterian Church USA headquarters. In retirement, he spoke of a 
deep gratitude for the heroism of the Tuskegee Airmen and was made an 
honorary Tuskegee Airman himself. Burt volunteered for numerous 
organizations, including North Decatur Presbyterian Church and Kiwanis, 
enjoyed golfing and fishing, and was an avid bowtie enthusiast. More 
than anything, however, he cherished his family.
  Burt and Martha built a family rooted in love and support. He 
selflessly served his American family overseas by defending democracy 
and at home by building the foundation for a more just and equal 
future. Through his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, 
Burt's legacy of faith, service, and family is destined to live on for 
generations.
  It is my distinct privilege to help honor and celebrate the storied 
life of Burt Vardeman. As his family continues to grieve this profound 
loss, I offer my deepest condolences. On behalf of myself, the Sixth 
Congressional District, and the United States House of Representatives, 
I am eternally grateful to Burt for his unbounded dedication to the 
betterment of humanity and the overflowing passion with which he lived.

                          ____________________