[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 15741-15742]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                    TRIBUTE TO DR. J. DEOTHA MALONE

 Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to an 
educator who has not only been an exemplary teacher, administrator, and 
community servant, but also has the distinguished honor of being the 
longest serving educator in the region we call Middle Tennessee. Dr. J. 
Deotha Malone will retire from the Sumner County Board of Education 
today. She has been dedicated to educating the students in Middle 
Tennessee for more than 55 years.
  Dr. Malone's career in education has been filled with many 
achievements. She has taught students from pre-school through the 
college levels. This Tennessean began her teaching career at Union High 
School in Gallatin, TN, in 1949 where she taught English and civics and 
was the class sponsor.
  Dr. Malone did not limit her role as an educator to the classroom. 
She opened her home as well, holding remedial classes in reading and 
teaching beginners French, all free of charge. She held classes for 
young pregnant women in the basement of the local health department 
before they were enrolled in the homebound programs. She taught the 
fourth and sixth grades, directed the ESL programs for 12 years, was a 
Head Start teacher and later became the supervisor of that program.
  In 1969, Dr. Malone was appointed supervisor of elementary education 
for Sumner County and in the same year became supervisor of adult 
education. In 1981, she was appointed supervisor of secondary education 
and she continues in that capacity today. She also remains the 
coordinator of district policy for Titles VI and IX.
  Dr. Malone has dedicated her life to public service--and not only as 
an educator. In 1958, she became the first African-American female 
notary public in Sumner County. She was subsequently trained by H&R 
Block to prepare income taxes--a service she rendered free of charge to 
those not able to afford the fees. Dr. Malone was elected to the 
Gallatin City Council in 1969. Two years after her first election, she 
was elected as the vice mayor of Gallatin and has been serving the city

[[Page 15742]]

in that capacity for the past 33 years. She is an active church member 
as a teacher of the Adult Ladies Sunday School Class, singer in the 
mass choir and president of the Willing Workers Club.
  Dr. Malone has touched and enriched so many lives that it is 
impossible to measure the debt of gratitude owed her. So I take this 
moment to honor her and thank her for all that she has done in her 
life's work.

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