[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 139 (Friday, August 25, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING CAROLYN MULLIS CRAYTON

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, August 25, 2023

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an 
outstanding citizen of Macon, Georgia--a devoted wife, mother, 
grandmother, and great-grandmother; a dedicated volunteer; and 
distinguished servant leader in her community, Mrs. Carolyn Mullis 
Crayton. Mrs. Crayton was honored with the Distinguished Citizen Award 
by the Central Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts of America on August 
24, 2023. The Awards Ceremony and Dinner was held at the Anderson 
Conference Center in Macon, Georgia.
  Originally from North Carolina, Mrs. Crayton moved to Macon in the 
early 1970s where she quickly got involved in the community. An ardent 
advocate for city beautification, she founded the Keep Macon-Bibb 
Beautiful Commission, which in 1974, partnered as an affiliate with 
Keep America Beautiful. Today, Mrs. Crayton serves on the Board of 
Directors of Keep America Beautiful, an organization she has been 
involved with for more than half a century. Similarly, the Keep Macon-
Bibb Beautiful Commission remains a strong force in the local 
community.
  Upon her first visit to Macon in 1970, Mrs. Crayton and her husband, 
Lee Crayton, fell in love with the city and saw its potential as a 
bastion of culture and beauty. Perhaps most notably, Mrs. Crayton was 
struck by the beauty of the Yoshino cherry trees that lined some of the 
local streets. Over the next decade, thousands of these beautiful trees 
were planted all over Macon, thanks to the generosity of Mr. William 
Fickling, Sr., an influential Macon resident and ``Father of Cherry 
Blossoms.''
  In 1982, Mrs. Crayton capitalized on this pink horticultural 
phenomenon by organizing a weekend celebration to give thanks to Mr. 
Fickling on his birthday for his contributions to the city's 
beautification. This event would go on to be celebrated every year as 
the International Cherry Blossom Festival, a week-long festival with 
the noble theme of ``love, beauty, and international friendship.'' 
Additionally, as the Yoshino cherry tree is native to Japan, Mrs. 
Crayton formed close ties with Japanese leaders and every year honors 
their representatives at the festival, demonstrating the strong bond 
and values shared by both nations. Thanks to Mrs. Crayton, the 
International Cherry Blossom Festival is now a cherished institution 
throughout Middle Georgia, and I couldn't be more pleased with its 
success in bringing the community together.
  Mrs. Crayton has had a positive impact on any project she has had the 
opportunity to work on. Over the years she has served on countless 
boards and community service activities to include: the International 
Festivals and Events Association; the Museum of Aviation Board of 
Directors, serving as the first female board chair; the Macon Rescue 
Mission; Middle Georgia State University Foundation Board of Trustees; 
the Vineville Garden Club; the Wesleyan Wood Garden Club; and serving 
under the past four governors as an at-large Board Member for the State 
of Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Truly, the state of Georgia 
is a better place thanks to Mrs. Crayton's hard work and dedication to 
her community.
  It has often been said that ``Service is the rent that we pay for the 
space we occupy here on this earth.'' Mrs. Carolyn Crayton has paid her 
rent, continues to pay that rent, and has received numerous awards and 
recognitions for which she can be proud. She received the Lady Bird 
Johnson Award for her hard work and dedication to keeping her 
community's environment pristine and welcoming; the ``Woman of 
Distinction'' Award by the Middle Georgia Girl Scout Council; Georgia 
Festival Director of the Year and the Emerson Award from National Arbor 
Day Foundation. She has also received international awards for work and 
expertise, including the Queen Mother's Award (United Kingdom); the 
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold, and Silver Rays from the Japanese 
Foreign Ministry; and the Japanese American Appreciation Award.
  Perhaps even more notable than the long list of accolades and awards 
Mrs. Crayton has earned over the years, is the fact that she inspired 
new generations of leadership and had several awards named after 
herself. These include the Carolyn Crayton Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful 
Commission Award; the Carolyn Crayton Cherry Blossom Festival Award; 
Keep Georgia Beautiful's Carolyn Crayton ``Woman of the Year'' and the 
Keep America Beautiful's Carolyn Crayton Award. Additionally, in 2020 
the city of Macon named the park which serves as the grounds for the 
International Cherry Blossom Festival after Mrs. Crayton for her 
decades of service and ambassadorship for the city. Situated across the 
Ocmulgee River from the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park, Carolyn 
Crayton Park is one of Macon's most visited attractions thanks to the 
work Mrs. Crayton has done with the annual Cherry Blossom festival.
  Mrs. Crayton has accomplished so much in her life, but none of it 
would have been possible without the grace of God and her late husband, 
Lee. Mr. and Mrs. Crayton raised two children--Douglas Crayton and 
Annette Crayton Mengert. They are the proud grandparents of four and 
have four great-grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues in the House of Representatives 
join my wife Vivian, and me, along with the 765,000 people of Georgia's 
Second Congressional District, in honoring and commending Mrs. Carolyn 
Mullis Crayton for her outstanding decades of service to the city of 
Macon, the people of Georgia, and humankind. May God continue to bless 
her and her family in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

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