[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 609]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO MRS. VIRGINIA STRICKLAND ROGERS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 5, 2002

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to honor a 
native of Como, Mississippi who celebrates her centennial birthday 
today. In 1902, the year Mrs. Rogers was born, Theodore Roosevelt was 
our nation's twenty-sixth President. Throughout his tenure as 
President, he prided himself as a ``steward of the people''. Mrs. 
Virginia Strickland Rogers, whether consciously or not, has lived and 
continues to live by this motto as well. She has been a public servant 
and a distinguished member of her community for most of her lifetime. 
She is an active member of her church, the Cistern Hill Missionary 
Baptist Church, where she sits on the church's Board of Mothers and 
February Club. When she is not in church, Mrs. Rogers, who is a retired 
food service worker, drives the elderly in the community to their 
doctors' appointments and escorts them on shopping excursions. The 
latter of these tasks she does not mind though, because she reportedly 
is an ``avid shopper''. Also, in her spare time, Mrs. Rogers loves to 
show off her ``green thumb''. She enjoys gardening and is known to 
tinker around in her garden for hours at a time.
  I cannot even begin to imagine the volumes of historically 
significant events Mrs. Virginia Rogers has witnessed with her own eyes 
over her lifetime. The town of Como is lucky to have such a resident 
who is so involved and committed to community. I hope that other 
members follow her example as well.
  Among the celebrants at Mrs. Rogers' ``centennial bash'' will be her 
friends in the community and also her 10 grandchildren, 34 great 
grandchildren, and 35 great great grandchildren.
  Happy one-hundredth birthday Mrs. Rogers! I wish you the best on your 
day and hope you see many more.

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