[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 196 (Wednesday, November 29, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5942-H5943]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
                    HONORING DETECTIVE MIKE WAGGONER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Burchett) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor my dear friend, Detective 
Mike Waggoner, for his service with the Knoxville Police Department. 
You see Mike in this picture with that incredible moustache.
  Detective Waggoner joined the department on November 11, 1974, and I 
note that I was in the fourth grade at that time. He is celebrating 49 
years of service with the KPD.
  Waggoner embodies all the characteristics the Knoxville Police 
Department likes to instill in future generations of officers.
  As such, every year, an officer of the department is awarded the Mike 
Waggoner Leadership Award. This award is given to the officer that 
exhibits strong passion, dedication, and thoroughness while inspiring 
those around them to do the same.
  This award was named for Detective Waggoner as he has spent his 
career in service to the people of Knoxville and is a respected leader 
among his fellow officers.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Detective Waggoner on his 49 years of 
service. He is a great friend, a great father, and a great husband. I 
thank him for all he has done for our city.


                     Honoring Captain Jack Gillooly

  Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Jack Gillooly, an 
American hero who served his country during World War II.
  At 103 years old, he is believed to be the oldest living Navy 
football player and Navy aviator. He played in three Army-Navy football 
games and never lost to Army. Jack played in the last game held at West 
Point in 1943.
  Jack had a long list of highlights, but most would say his best was 
his tackle of Glenn Davis, a Heisman Trophy-winning Army halfback.
  After graduation, he was assigned to the USS Columbia and fought in 
the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the longest Naval battle in World War II. He 
survived three kamikaze attacks on his cruiser.
  Jack wanted to get off the water and into the air, so he applied and 
was selected to become a Naval aviator. During the Cuban Missile Crisis 
in the early 1960s, he was the commanding officer of an antisubmarine 
fighter.
  Captain Gillooly was also part of the Navy's first electronic 
countermeasure squadron during the Korean war, and he was the base 
commander at Orlando Air Base, which was later converted into the 
Orlando Naval Training Center.
  Our country's heroes are the men and women of our Armed Forces, Mr. 
Speaker. It is my honor to recognize Captain Jack Gillooly as the 
Tennessee Second District's November 2023 Veteran of the Month.


                    Honoring Colonel Edmund Morrisey

  Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Colonel Ed 
Morrisey who passed away on November 7 at the age of 94.
  In 1952, Colonel Morrisey was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 
Reserves in the U.S. Air Force and placed on Active Duty as a weapons 
controller.
  In 1968, the colonel became the first commander of the I.G. Brown 
Training and Education Center at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base. 
He went on to build the Air National Guard's premier professional 
military education institute, leading it for 15 years.
  He is the only field officer in the National Guard to have earned the 
Order of the Sword, the enlisted force's highest honor to be bestowed 
on officers. The sword symbolizes truth, justice, and righteous power 
given to a leader among leaders.
  Ed is survived by his wife of 41 years, Pauline; his son, John; 
stepdaughter,

[[Page H5943]]

Cindy; his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren. We won't forget 
Ed's service to this country and the impact he had on those he loved, 
Mr. Speaker.


                   Honoring the Life of Ross Bagwell

  Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Ross Bagwell, 
Sr., who passed away on November 23 at the age of 91.
  Ross grew up in east Tennessee where he watched his first television 
broadcast. He was not only a loving husband and father but also a 
trailblazer for television producing, bringing east Tennessee to the 
forefront of America's television production.
  Most people think that it all happens in Los Angeles or New York; 
but, no, it happens right there in my hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee.
  He originally worked on the Howdy Doody show. He produced hundreds of 
hours of programing, including ``I-40 Paradise,'' ``Club Dance,'' 
``America's Castles,'' and Nickelodeon's ``Hey Dude,'' shows that I 
actually watched a lot of, especially the country music.
  Ross was always very kind to me. He always catered in barbecue when I 
would visit him. He was a dreamer with a genuine love for creativity.

  He always talked about wanting to build a waterfall in Knoxville on 
the Tennessee River, right there on the riverfront. I, of course, was 
the county mayor at the time. We couldn't make it happen because it 
would have been a city project.
  Through CineTel and RIVR Media, the do-it-yourself concept, which you 
see so prevalent out there now, was actually a creation of Ross 
Bagwell.
  He met the love of his life, Sue, in the eighth grade. They were 
together their whole lives until her passing in 2022.
  Ross is survived by his daughter, Dee; brother, Joe; two 
grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He will be missed by those 
who love him, Mr. Speaker, but he will not be forgotten.

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