[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5901-5902]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         TRIBUTE TO EDDIE FROST

 Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, during my four years as a member 
of the United States Senate, I have traveled across the State of 
Alabama meeting with local community leaders. I am proud to say that I 
have developed close, personal friendships with many of these folks. 
However, in all of my travels around the state, and meetings with 
public officials, I have enjoyed none more than getting to know Eddie 
Frost, the Mayor of Florence, Alabama, who died on March 15 after a 
battle with leukemia.
  Florence, AL is a wonderful city with a population of 36,000 people. 
It is located on the banks of the Tennessee River in northwest Alabama, 
and it is the largest city in the Shoals area. Eddie Frost was raised 
in the Shoals, graduated from Sheffield High School, and then he 
graduated from Florence State University in 1961, which is now the 
University of North Alabama. Before becoming mayor of Florence, Eddie 
Frost was a teacher and coach at Bradshaw High School in Florence. In 
1976, he coached the Bradshaw basketball team to a 6A state 
championship, and was recognized as the Alabama Coach of the Year.
  He was first elected Mayor of Florence in 1984 when the city moved to 
a mayor-council form of government. He inherited a city with a bleak 
economic forecast and a high unemployment rate. Throughout his life, 
however, Eddie Frost always had a vision for bigger and better things. 
He immediately put to work his positive spirit, his high energy level, 
and his unsurpassed dedication to Florence. He helped the city 
revitalize downtown Florence, and today, the downtown area is booming.
  He also worked tirelessly to see the Patton Island Bridge completed 
across the Tennessee River. I remember vividly during my campaign for 
the Senate, he took me up in the Florence Renaissance Tower and pointed 
out some lonesome concrete supports standing out in the middle of the 
river. There was no doubt how strongly he

[[Page 5902]]

felt about completing that bridge project. He understood the economic 
importance this bridge would have for the Shoals area, and he worked 
side by side with us here in Washington to find funding for this worthy 
project. Thanks to his leadership, the bridge is nearly complete.
  I also remember Eddie Frost proudly taking me on a tour of his city's 
recycling center. I admired greatly his use of city prisoners to 
separate garbage. It provided work for the prisoners, relieved landfill 
costs, and produced revenue. I have long advocated such projects and 
have never seen one better run.
  Eddie Frost was also instrumental in helping the City of Florence 
land the NCAA Division II National Football Championship game in 1986. 
This is a world-class event, and the game has been very successful in 
Florence. The game has been a success because of the hospitality shown 
to the players, coaches, and fans by Eddie Frost, the championship 
committee, and the great people of Florence, Alabama. In December, the 
city will celebrate the 16th consecutive Division II Championship game 
in Florence. In addition to football, Eddie Frost brought his love of 
basketball to Florence. The city is now the home of the annual Alabama-
Mississippi high school all-star basketball game.
  He was involved in many civic and volunteer organizations, and his 
life was full of many achievements. He served as President of the 
Alabama League of Municipalities, Chairman of the American Public Gas 
Association, Chairman of the Board of Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital, 
the hospital in which my eldest daughter was born, and he was Past 
President of the North Alabama Industrial Development Association. He 
was a Deacon at Highland Baptist Church in Florence, active in the 
Northwest Alabama Boys and Girls Club, the United Way, the Lauderdale 
County Cancer Society, the Lauderdale County Heart Association, and the 
Leukemia Society of America.
  In 1993 he was named the Florence Civitan Citizen of the Year. He was 
the University of North Alabama's Alumnus of the Year in 1998, a member 
of the University of North Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame. Last month he 
was inducted into the Lauderdale County Sports Hall of Fame and the 
Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame.
  Eddie Frost not only left his mark on the city of Florence, the 
Shoals area, and the State of Alabama, he left an impression on our 
hearts. He was honest, out-going, and he was genuine. But most 
importantly, he loved people, and he cared deeply for them. He loved 
his wife Bonnie, and their three children. I want to offer my sincerest 
condolences to them. I know the last few months since he was diagnosed 
with leukemia have been especially difficult for them. They will always 
miss Eddie, but they can take great pride in he life he led, and the 
hearts he touched along the way.

                          ____________________