[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 25484]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING THE PRYOR FAMILY

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 21, 2003

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, family reunions are one of 
America's great traditions. This is especially true in my area of 
southwest Georgia, where some of the country's oldest and biggest 
family reunions are held. One of these is the Pryor family reunion, 
which has convened in the community of Leslie every year for the past 
century, attracting hundreds of people from Georgia and other States. 
This year's reunion was held on October 4. I would like to share an 
article about this year's 100th anniversary reunion in the Cordele 
Dispatch written by Ms. Betsy Butler, a descendant and a writer and 
editor for the newspaper.

       The year was 1903. Only 14 percent of the homes in the 
     United States had a bathtub. Only 8 percent had a telephone. 
     There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S. and only 144 miles of 
     paved roads. The American flag had 45 stars. Arizona, 
     Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska hadn't been admitted 
     to the Union yet. Today, 100 years later, we live in a world 
     of airplanes and computers that connect people on opposite 
     ends of the earth. Boy, how things change. But one thing has 
     stayed the same--the Pryor family gathering.
       Since 1903 the family has been coming to the small town of 
     Leslie. What started as a gathering to mark the 50th wedding 
     anniversary of Shepherd Green Pryor and Penelope Eudora Tyson 
     Pryor on October 4, 1903, has continued to bring the family 
     together for 100 years.
       Shepherd and Penelope had seven living children, 32 
     grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Most of these 
     attended the celebration, which would become the first annual 
     family reunion.
       According to Frank Wilson, a descendent, the menu has 
     stayed the same for 100 years--barbecue. Over the years, each 
     generation has assumed the responsibility for being sure the 
     reunion goes on. ``The family has stuck together and done 
     what needs to be done,'' Wilson said. ``We have never 
     struggled to have a host.''
       There is a lot of history to the family. With two published 
     books about the family, one being a narrative and the other, 
     ``A Post of Honor,'' being a collection of letters written 
     between Shepherd and Penelope during the Civil War. In June 
     of 2001 over 140 descendants traveled to Virginia for the 
     dedication of Civil War breastplates. Quotes from the letters 
     . . . were used on the Confederate breast-works plaques.
       This year's reunion is no different from the 99 before it 
     (as) hundreds of family members ascend on Leslie and spend 
     the afternoon together over a barbeque lunch. In 100 years 
     the world has evolved from a world of only one in 10 homes 
     with a telephone to a world with an information highway. But 
     one thing has stayed the same--the Pryor family gathering.

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