[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 140 (Tuesday, August 29, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E799]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE LIFE OF DR. ELTON MAC HUDDLESTON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TRENT KELLY

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 29, 2023

  Mr. KELLY of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 
life of Dr. Elton Mac Huddleston, 79, who passed away on August 27, 
2023, in Tupelo, Mississippi, after a life marked by service to his 
fellow man. He was born September 16, 1943, and was raised in Holmes 
County, Mississippi, by his beloved grandparents. He graduated from 
Durant High School.
  He studied accounting and was a member of the ROTC at Mississippi 
State University. After graduating from MSU, he served in the United 
States Army, flying helicopters in Vietnam and, later, serving as a 
flight instructor. He held the rank of Captain and was a recipient of 
the Bronze Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross, among other honors 
and awards. After his military service, he obtained his degree of 
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Auburn University and worked as a 
veterinarian in north Mississippi, including Pontotoc. He worked for 
several years for his alma mater, Mississippi State, in both the 
College of Veterinary Medicine, where he was among the first faculty, 
and the Division of Development before eventually settling back in 
Pontotoc, where he was known by his friends as ``Dr. Mac'' and worked 
many years as a large animal veterinarian. He was also the executive 
secretary of the Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association and 
Mississippi Board of Veterinary Medicine.
  Later in his career, he served the citizens of Pontotoc County as 
sheriff's deputy and criminal investigator for the Pontotoc County 
Sheriff's Department before being elected to the Mississippi House of 
Representatives, where he served the people of District 15 from 2008 
until his death. In the legislature, he served as chairman of the 
University and Colleges and Ethics committees and was previously vice-
chairman of the Appropriations committee. He was a longtime member of 
West Heights Baptist Church in Pontotoc and led the Praise Sunday 
school class for many years.
  He is preceded in death by his parents, Elton Mac Huddleston, Sr., 
and Matilda Claudell Ellington Houston, and his grandparents, Luther 
Pearson McLellan, Amber Ellington McLellan, John Oliver Huddleston, and 
Fannie McDonough Huddleston.
  He is survived by his wife of 32 years, Dr. Flavia Ruth Hutchinson 
Huddleston, of Pontotoc; 4 children, Robert McLellan Huddleston and his 
wife, Kimberly, of Wren, Mississippi; Meghan West Foley and her 
husband, William, of New Albany, Mississippi; Dr. Edward Mac Huddleston 
of Birmingham, Alabama; and Amber Claire Brown and her husband, 
Griffin, of Southaven, Mississippi; 4 grandchildren, Aubrey Kay 
Huddleston of Wren, Mississippi, and Stella Ruth Foley, William Deacon 
Foley, and Charlotte James Foley, of New Albany, Mississippi.

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