[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13292]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE TO CHARLES R. BRANSON, RECIPIENT OF THE SHEPHERD COLLEGE 
         PRESIDENT'S AWARD FOR A LIFETIME OF COMMUNITY SERVICE

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                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2003

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to Charles R. 
Branson, who on May 6th was the recipient of the 2003 Shepherd College 
President's Award for a Lifetime of Community Service.
  Mr. Branson attended Shadyside Elementary School in Shepherdstown's 
West End. In 1937, he took the state proficiency exam for 8th graders 
(he was in the 7th grade at the time), passed with the highest score 
and was named the valedictorian of his class despite having started 
elementary school two years later than his peers because of an injury 
to his legs.
  The only black high school in Jefferson County was at Storer College 
in Harpers Ferry, W.Va. Mr. Branson enrolled at Storer, and his family 
struggled to pay the $16 a month board. His mother's untimely death, 
when Mr. Branson was a junior, put a financial strain on the family and 
he could no longer afford to stay on campus. He got a job at a tourist 
home that paid $2 a month and provided him lodging in the basement 
furnace room, which was permeated with coal dust.
  Despite these unpleasant conditions, he had the determination to 
continue his education. Mr. Branson graduated from Storer College's 
High School program in 1941 and returned to Shepherdstown. The quest 
for a job took him to New York City and Connecticut but he eventually 
returned to Shepherdstown where he briefly worked at Shepherd College.
  In 1942, he married Ruby Washington and shortly thereafter was 
inducted into the U.S. Army and stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. He was 
an assistant gunner in the 827th Tank Destroyer Battalion, Company C, 
Third Platoon. After training in North Africa, Mr. Branson was sent to 
Europe. He landed in Marseilles. He and his battalion took part in the 
invasion and liberation of Southern France. Within the next few days, 
they moved north towards the battle front. Despite waist deep snow, 
they finally reached Strasbourg and headed toward Luxembourg. From 
December to January he fought in the Battle of the Bulge, the last 
great effort of the Nazi war machine to avoid defeat. After a month of 
fighting on the ground, the air support arrived and the tide began to 
turn in favor of the allied forces.
  After fighting in the European theater for several months, Mr. 
Branson found himself on a ship headed for the Pacific theater to join 
that fight. However, while on route, to Japan, a voice on the ship's 
loudspeaker announced the end of the war. The ship returned to the 
United States. Mr. Branson was honorably discharged from the Army on 
October 3, 1945.
  Upon returning to Shepherdstown, he and his wife purchased the home 
in which they still live. After working for a year in local orchards 
and at the local Army hospital, he was persuaded by his wife to attend 
college. He graduated from Storer College with a bachelor's degree. He 
served as a teacher and football coach in the Luray, Virginia public 
schools until 1956, when he returned to Shep-
herdstown once again. He worked in the patient relations department of 
the local Veterans' Hospital until his retirement in 1985.
  In addition to working and raising a family, Mr. Branson served on 
the Shepherdstown Town Council from 1974 to 2002. During his tenure on 
the council, he spearheaded the cleaning of Back Alley and the paving 
of streets in the predominantly African American East and West End 
communities within the town. He insured that the interests of the 
African American community were not forgotten in the deliberations and 
the decisions of the council and fought to preserve the small-town 
environment of Shepherdstown while assuring that all members of the 
community had access to basic services. Mr. Branson is a member of St. 
John the Baptist Church and is chairperson emeritus of St. John's 
Deacon Board.
  Mr. Branson was given the President's Award in recognition of his 
service to the community. I want to recognize him because of the odds 
he overcame and his determination to make a difference for ordinary 
people.

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