[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 3, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E505]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE LIFE OF DELEGATE BARNIE DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. H. MORGAN GRIFFITH

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 3, 2025

  Mr. GRIFFITH. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of a colleague and member 
of the Virginia House of Delegates, Delegate Barnie Day, who passed 
away on May 12th at the age of 72.
  Born in 1952, Delegate Day grew up in North Carolina. An early part 
of his character development came in high school when Delegate Day 
started a job working in an aluminum factory for $1.85 per hour.
  After finishing school at the University of North Carolina in 1975, 
Delegate Day looked for opportunities in journalism. He worked for 
small newspaper organizations in North Carolina and Kansas City. During 
this time, he developed a great journalistic acumen.
  Southwest Virginia soon became home to Delegate Day and his wife, 
Debbie. They first moved to Floyd County before settling in Patrick 
County.
  It was in Patrick County where Mr. Day blossomed as a local official 
and community leader. As county administrator, he strived for the best 
interests of Patrick County and worked to improve his community.
  His service to Patrick County included stints with critical 
institutions like the First Bank of Stuart Board of Directors, Tri-Area 
Health Clinic and the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce Board of 
Directors.
  The people of Patrick County appreciated and praised Mr. Day for his 
work on their behalf. He earned such high marks that they elected him 
to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1997.
  I served in the state legislature alongside Delegate Day during his 
two terms in office. He showcased incredible oratory skills and 
passionate advocacy for rural Virginia. Members of both parties 
appreciated his storytelling.
  Delegate Day's stories often featured ``Cornbread'', a fictional 
character whose endeavors served as the building blocks of Day's 
arguments on legislation.
  Given his exceptional verbal skills and mastery of the English 
language, one Virginia political commentator called him ``Virginia's 
Mark Twain.''
  The legacy of Delegate Day is to be commended and celebrated by rural 
Virginians. His life of honorable service and love for helping others 
made Delegate Day an outstanding figure that future community leaders 
can look to as inspiration.

                          ____________________