[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 179 (Tuesday, October 12, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1086]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE LIFE OF THOMAS H. BIRDSONG III

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONALD S. BEYER, JR.

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 12, 2021

  Mr. BEYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the life of Thomas 
H. Birdsong III, a dear and devoted husband, father, grandfather and 
great-grandfather--as well as an accomplished native son of the 
Commonwealth of Virginia--whom we lost on August 20, 2021, at the age 
of 94.
  Born and raised in Suffolk, Virginia, Mr. Birdsong was a member of 
America's Greatest Generation--an only child who heard and heeded the 
call to serve from an early age, joining the United States Navy during 
World War II. It was a call he would continue to answer following the 
war, a committed servant of both his country and his Commonwealth 
throughout his life.
  A 1949 graduate of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia--and a 
recipient of numerous accolades from the College in the decades since, 
including an Honorary Doctor of Law degree--Mr. Birdsong would go on to 
serve two terms on the College's distinguished Board of Trustees, 
including a term as vice chairman. In addition to funding a variety of 
improvements to the campus itself, Mr. Birdsong's generosity made it 
possible for several students to attend the College and thereafter call 
it their own. Further still, Mr. Birdsong has helped ensure the 
College's future through his establishment of a charitable unitrust 
that has become part of the College's endowment.
  Mr. Birdsong's philanthropy stemmed from his great professional 
success, rooted quite literally in his beloved home state. Over the 
course of a successful, 72-year career with Suffolk-based Birdsong 
Peanuts, Mr. Birdsong was inducted into the Peanut Hall of Fame by the 
American Peanut Council in 2000 for his ``Outstanding Contributions'' 
to the peanut industry. He was continuing to serve as the company's 
chairman upon his death. As a businessman, Mr. Birdsong was a noted 
conservationist, patron of the arts, and a trusted and well-regarded 
corporate leader, whose many contributions to American commerce 
included time spent on the Advisory Council for the United States 
Secretary of Agriculture.
  Please join me in honoring the life of Thomas H. Birdsong Ill, a 
Virginian whose legacy of servant leadership lives on in the hearts of 
all of us grateful for the noble and timeless example he set.

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