[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 112 (Monday, July 8, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S4229]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO WAYNE DAVENPORT

 Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, when we think of coaches, we 
often think of athletic coaches. But our students also need dedicated 
academic coaches, like U.S. Army LTC Wayne Davenport of Trussville, AL. 
Wayne enlisted in the Army in 1985 after graduating from Huffman High 
School in Birmingham, AL. He served for 22 years, with tours in South 
America and Afghanistan as an officer in the 20th Special Forces Group. 
Because of his gift for building successful teams, Wayne was chosen to 
help redesign the special forces group following 9/11. His blueprint is 
still used to this day.
  After retiring from the military, Wayne's desire to serve took him 
into education. And for 15 years, he has been using his talents to help 
students find confidence and reach new heights as the JROTC instructor 
at Gadsden High School. His supervisor describes him as a ``Godsend.'' 
This is evidenced by both his success and the success of his students. 
Recently, Gadsden High's JROTC team became the first program in Alabama 
to place as one of the most elite 32 academic bowl teams out of more 
than 2,000 teams in the world. But, that is not all.
  Wayne also serves as the coach for Gadsden High's scholars bowl team, 
where he has led four teams to the national championship. He spends 
many early mornings and late nights preparing for these competitions 
without complaint. Additionally, Wayne is helping build a culture of 
academic excellence that begins long before students reach high school 
age. Now, he is training elementary teachers on how to begin preparing 
students at an early age so that Alabama's students can compete at all 
levels with other States.
  I join the city of Gadsden and the State of Alabama in expressing our 
deep gratitude for Wayne's dedication to helping educate and influence 
the next generation. It is my honor to recognize him as the July 
Veteran of the Month.

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