[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 175 (Monday, November 14, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1140]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  RECOGNIZING ANNIE ``ANN'' H. FLOWERS

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 14, 2022

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a 
devoted wife, dedicated mother, outstanding educator, and friend to 
humankind, Mrs. Annie ``Ann'' H. Flowers. An event celebrating her 80th 
birthday was held on Saturday, October 22, 2022, at 2 p.m. at the New 
Grady Baptist Association meeting in Cairo, Georgia.
  Mrs. Flowers is a native of Decatur County, Georgia. She has used her 
life's work to uplift humanity through selfless service. She dedicated 
thirty-two years of her life to molding and shaping our most precious 
resources, our young people. Her career in education is indeed a 
storied one. During her career in education with the Grady County 
School system, she served in numerous capacities to include Classroom 
Teacher, Math Coordinator, Title V. Director, Assistant Principal, and 
Principal. Never one to rest on her laurels after retirement, she came 
back to serve as an Interim Principal for one year.
  It has been said that ``Service is the rent that we pay for the space 
that we occupy here on this earth.'' Mrs. Flowers has paid her rent and 
she has paid it well. Her commitment to service is evident in all of 
the different professional causes that she has given her time and 
treasures. Those include: The Grady County Retired Educators, Georgia 
Association of Education Leaders, Georgia and National Associations of 
Education, National Middle School Association, National Executive 
Female Organization, Southwest Regional Director of Middle School 
Principals, Governor's School Leadership Institute, Georgia Council of 
School performance and Georgia Department of School Improvement 
Specialists.
  The great Agricultural Chemist George Washington Carver once said 
that ``How far one goes in life depends on your being tender with the 
young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the strong and 
tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will 
have been all of these.'' Mrs. Flowers has used her life's work both 
professionally and socially to minister to people from all walks of 
life. She is the Founder of the Boys to Men Mentoring Programs, a 
member of the Board of Directors for Grady County United Way, Friends 
of Roddenberry Memorial Library, The Thomas Grady Service Center Board, 
Southwest Georgia Board of Easter Seals of Grady County, and Georgia 
Pines Community Service Board. She has also served on the Advisory 
Board for the Head Start of Grady County. Mrs. Flowers is also a life 
member of the Order of Eastern Star Chapter No. 36.
  Mrs. Flowers has also received numerous awards and honors during her 
life, most notably the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major for Peace 
Award and has the distinction of being the First African American 
Principal in Grady County, Georgia after integration.
  Mrs. Flowers is a woman after God's own heart. She is a member of the 
Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Cairo, Georgia, where she is 
a Deaconess, a member of the Minister's wives Ministry and Pastor's 
Aide Ministry. She truly embodies the words of Acts 9:36: ``She was 
abounding in good deeds and acts of charity.''
  Mrs. Flowers has accomplished many things in her life, but none of 
these would have been possible without her faith, the love and support 
of her husband, The Reverend Henry C. Flowers, Jr. and their three 
children.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife, Vivian and me 
along with the more than 730,000 people of the Second Congressional 
District in extending our sincerest appreciation and best wishes to 
Mrs. Annie ``Ann'' H. Flowers on the occasion of her 80th Birthday and 
her phenomenal service to God and Humankind. May God continue to bless 
her and her family.

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