[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 25480]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    IN MEMORY OF EDDIE JAMES GIBSON

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 21, 2003

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I was deeply saddened when I 
learned of the passing on October 12, of Eddie James Gibson, 57, of 
Edison, Georgia, one of the most highly committed, courageous and 
inspiring citizens I have ever known.
  The son of sharecroppers, Mr. Gibson was horrifically injured at the 
age of 15 when the tractor he was operating overturned on the land 
farmed by his family. He spent years in hospitals, undergoing countless 
operations and receiving intense therapy. His life was saved, but he 
was left permanently paralyzed.
  After he was finally able to return home to Calhoun County, he 
quickly demonstrated that he had no intention of giving up and sinking 
into despair. Even though severely handicapped, he decided to do 
something about the poverty and injustices that he saw around him. He 
became involved in the civil rights movement, organizing efforts to 
increase voter participation and bring down the racial barriers that 
then existed. Even though wheelchair bound, he never hesitated to put 
himself on the movement's front lines.
  Later, he became president of the Calhoun County NAACP, a member of 
the Edison City Council, and a member of the Calhoun County School 
Board. He was active in voter registration, and was incredibly 
effective in motivating people to exercise their rights as citizens. 
Although a member of the Enon Missionary Baptist Church, he helped a 
number of churches in the area with their fund raising and enhancement 
programs. He was always involved in civic and charitable activities.
  Many people came to him with problems. Armed with a telephone, he was 
effective in getting many of them resolved. We worked with him on many 
cases, and found it to be a highly productive relationship. I visited 
with him often, and was always uplifted by his good humor and positive 
outlook that he invariably reflected in spite of any pain and 
discomfort he may have been feeling.
  With sharp intelligence and strength of character, he overcame all of 
the adversities of a hardscrabble upbringing, of the discrimination he 
encountered, of the lifelong injuries he sustained as a teenager--
rising to become one of the most prominent citizens in Calhoun County's 
history as he worked tirelessly to raise the quality of life for people 
throughout his community and area.
  If we're looking for true American heroes, I submit the name of Eddie 
James Gibson of Calhoun County. He meets all of the qualifications.

                          ____________________