[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 27292]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                     IN HONOR OF JOHN T. DAUGHERTY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 15, 2000

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of John T. Daugherty, a 
distinguished and extraordinary member of the Southern Maryland 
community and a personal friend for many years. His contributions to 
his community of Lexington Park and the Southern Maryland area will 
continue to pay dividends and be fondly remembered for decades to come. 
Mr. John T. Daugherty was best known as Jack throughout Southern 
Maryland. He was born January 18, 1919 in Bath County, Kentucky. He 
went on to attend school at the University of North Carolina, Chapel 
Hill; Center College in Danville, Kentucky; and Morehead State Teachers 
College. He later was trained to fly Navy airplanes in Pensacola, 
Florida. He joined the Marine Corps and saw service in the South 
Pacific during World War II, where his courageous prowess earned him 
the Distinguished Flying Cross for a bombing raid on Rabaul Harbor. He 
went on to become a pioneer and product of the Patuxent River Naval Air 
Station Test Pilot School even before the first official graduating 
class was formed. After leaving active duty, he continued to proudly 
serve his country as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves. 
Jack Daugherty remained in St. Mary's County to began life as a 
civilian and his entrepreneurial instincts led him to create many small 
businesses in Southern Maryland. His early business pursuits were not 
based on personal gain, rather, he created many new ventures to meet 
the needs of a fledgling and fast growing upstart Navy town. He is 
perhaps best known for founding Citizen's Bank, later known as Maryland 
Bank and Trust. His efforts to bring desperately needed capital 
resources to the Lexington Park community were critical in building a 
town to support the growing Navy base at Patuxent. Jack Daugherty 
became president of this bank and continued to run the local community 
bank for 35 years. He used the bank to literally help build a town that 
today is home to one of America's largest and most technologically 
advanced military bases. His unconventional loan practices enabled 
hundreds of entrepreneurs to go into business. Today, many small 
business owners, including a large number of women and minority owned 
businesses, will tell you how Mr. Daugherty helped them get started in 
business. Typically, they will tell you, their loans were approved 
without using any collateral and written on the back of an envelope.
  Indicative of Mr. Daugherty's great sense of community spirit and 
among his greatest contributions to the community, was an early venture 
to create a local radio station for St. Mary's County. Recognizing the 
need to create a sense of community, he began and operated the WPTX AM 
Radio station in Lexington Park, where he and other local business 
owners took turns announcing local news events, weather, and other 
items of local interest. Mr. Daugherty himself was an announcer on the 
station, covering local news and political events. That station has 
continually served the local community and today is operated as 97.7 
WMDM-FM under the ownership of Mr. Ron Walton. Jack Daugherty was also 
a founder of the St. Mary's County Chamber of Commerce, a member of the 
Historic St. Mary's City Commission and the founder of the Lexington 
Park Little League. He was on the Board of Trustees at St. Mary's 
College of Maryland and is fondly remembered for providing scholarships 
to many disadvantaged area students.
  Mr. Speaker, Jack Daugherty was a unique individual who made 
contributions to his community that will last for generations to come. 
He was a giant among his peers whose leadership provided countless 
opportunities for thousands of individuals, reaching far beyond his 
local community. His rugged independence and fierce commitment to his 
community should distinguish him forever for the important role he has 
had in attracting the very significant U.S. Navy investment at Patuxent 
River Naval Air Station we have today. Repeatedly, he was a critical 
force in mobilizing the necessary resources to retain and attract 
federal investments at Pax River. Whenever a threat appeared on the 
horizon to either Pax River or St. Inigoes, it was Jack Daugherty who 
mobilized the local community to fight it.
  Mr. Speaker, Jack Daugherty's presence will be sorely missed. Right 
up until his death on August 10, 2000, he played an active role in the 
Southern Maryland Navy Alliance, providing the same firm and steady 
leadership to that organization as he continued to support and protect 
the interests of Southern Maryland and the U.S. Navy. I ask my 
colleagues to join with me in honoring a great American whose success 
and love of life will long be remembered in Southern Maryland. Every 
community in America needs a Jack Daugherty. He knew the importance of 
community spirit and set the bar high for others to give back to 
community in which he lived. I ask my colleagues to join with me in 
paying tribute to John T. Daugherty, a veteran, a business and 
community leader and great family man, for his lifetime of service to 
his family, his neighbors and to his country.
  My best wishes go out to his wife Kay, son Tom and daughter Katie who 
best knew him as an upstanding and decent husband, father, and 
community leader. I ask that you join me in honoring John T. 
Daugherty's strength and devotion to a community that will continue to 
reap the benefits of his work and dedication. His legacy will never be 
forgotten.

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