[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 50 (Thursday, March 19, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S1364]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       REMEMBERING ALVERTA HARGIS

 Mr. SCHMITT. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the 
remarkable life and legacy of the late Alverta G. Harvey Hargis. 
Beginning her life in 1908, she had the opportunity to come of age 
during the closing days of the American pioneer era. Born in a covered 
wagon in Nebraska and spending the first few years of her life growing 
up in the type of iconic sod house that defined that era of our 
Nation's history, the challenges of growing up on the frontier provided 
her with valuable life lessons and helped equip her with a resilience 
that would guide her and her family through the hardships of the 20th 
century.
  During the Second World War, Mrs. Hargis played a key role in 
protecting America's freedom by serving at defense plants in Detroit, 
MI, ensuring that our selfless servicemen were equipped to defend our 
great republic and liberate our brothers and sisters in Europe. In 
2020, she was among the great American women awarded the Congressional 
Gold Medal for supporting our nation as Rosie the Riveters by Congress 
and President Trump. At this year's Cherry Blossom Festival, 
Representative Alford will be posthumously presenting her with this 
honor. After the war, her extraordinary talent for quilting and baking 
became so iconic in southwest Missouri that, to this day, the Grand 
Champion Apple Pie Prize at the annual Apple Festival in Seymour, MO, 
is named in her honor, and each year, a fundraiser honoring her legacy 
is held during the Missouri Cherry Blossom Festival.
  Throughout her life, Mrs. Hargis remained a committed woman of God 
and devoted herself to her family, raising 6 children and becoming the 
proud grandmother to over 80 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As 
the United States reaches its 250th anniversary, Mrs. Alverta Hargis' 
remarkable life serves as a perfect example of the spirit of committed 
service, sacrifice, and faith that have made our country great. I am 
proud to join her family and Representative Alford in recognizing her 
remarkable life and legacy and am happy that she called the Show-Me 
State home.

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