[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9811]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF MARY LOU DAVIDSON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART GORDON

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 11, 2003

  Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish a happy 100th birthday 
to a dear cousin of mine, Mary Lou Gordon Davidson. She is a remarkable 
woman who continues to remain an active and vibrant part of her 
community.
  Mrs. Davidson was born April 29, 1903, to the late Dr. Alfred Nelson 
Gordon and Sallie Holden Gordon on a farm in my hometown community of 
Rutherford County, TN. She has lived through 18 U.S. presidents and has 
witnessed a dizzying array of technological achievements, including 
traveling to town by horse and buggy to reaching the stars by way of 
powerful rockets. She has watched telecommunications advance from a 
simple hand-crank telephone hanging on the wall to a hand-held digital 
telephone using signals delivered by way of satellite.
  After receiving her bachelor's degree from the old Tennessee College 
for Women in my hometown of Murfreesboro, Mrs. Davidson raised a child, 
Sara, and taught school for more than four decades before retiring in 
1968. Through her active life, Mrs. Davidson enjoyed a multitude of 
hobbies, including gardening, cooking and sewing. In fact, she 
currently leads a knitting class at her home in the McKendree 
Retirement Village. And she has won nearly a dozen gold medals while 
participating in the Senior Olympics.
  Mrs. Davidson is the epitome of living life to the fullest. Her keen 
wit and positive attitude have given her a wonderful disposition, one 
that we should wish to have. I congratulate Mrs. Davidson for her 
countless contributions to her community and her country.

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