[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17771]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING JIM REDMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 10, 2003

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Jim Redman, a man 
who has taught many people the meaning of courage, perseverance, and 
integrity.
  Mr. Redman is an icon in Plant City, FL, which is located in my 
congressional district. He captained the high school football team 
there before attending my alma mater, the University of Florida, and 
studying business administration and law. After graduation he returned 
home and married his wife, Ruby Jean, a former Florida Strawberry 
Festival queen.
  He founded and ran a successful law practice in Plant City before 
getting elected to the Florida House of Representatives. During his 12 
years in the legislature, Jim fought public corruption and was named 
Legislator of the Year in 1975. He was a proud Democrat, and when local 
Republicans tried to get him to switch parties, he boasted that the 
Republicans were ``too liberal'' for him.
  He also became very involved in the community and ultimately left the 
legislature to spend more time with his family. A section of State Road 
39 in Plant City was named the James L. Redman Parkway in honor of his 
work in the legislature and his contributions to the community.
  In 1978, at age 46, Jim found out he had cancer. Though doctors said 
he had likely less than 2 years to live, he decided to fight it. And 
fight he did. I am pleased that today, at age 71, he still is fighting, 
despite enduring constant pain. Jim has refused to let his disease 
define him and instead has made his mark on the world and those around 
him.
  Jim raised three children and now is a grandfather to nine 
grandchildren. He attends Lions Club lunches and meetings of the South 
Florida Baptist Hospital Board on which he serves. He also attends 
First Baptist Church of Plant City every Sunday, where he serves as a 
deacon. In addition, he gets to work at 7:30 every morning, and as he 
says, thanks ``the good Lord for giving me another day.''
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to know Jim Redman and to represent him and 
his family in Congress. He continues to live his life with grace, 
dignity, courage, and the can-do attitude from which we all could 
learn.

                          ____________________