[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17917]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING MS. MARTHA WYLLIE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Norwood) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. NORWOOD. Mr. Speaker, before I start my remarks, which will be a 
great pleasure to do, I would like to bring to the attention of my 
colleagues that just less than 5 minutes ago, the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Jones) took the floor, and I would just like to associate 
myself with his eloquent remarks and just absolutely, totally agree 
with him, that the first amendment should absolutely take effect in all 
of our churches around this country. So I congratulate the gentleman 
from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) and hope we can do something about it 
this year.
  I rise today for one of those very nice things we get to do, and that 
is to talk about somebody really special and really nice. I want to 
recognize the outstanding dedication and the compassion and the 
achievements on this floor of Ms. Martha Wyllie. Taking an active role 
in our community while greatly enriching the lives of those who come in 
contact with her describes how we in Georgia regard Martha Wyllie.
  Interestingly enough, Martha was born in Bangor, Maine, and lived in 
a private orphanage until she was adopted at 9 months of age. Her next 
home was in Massachusetts where she went through her schooling and 
college work, graduating from Lesley Teaching College in Cambridge, 
Massachusetts.
  Her interests and talents began to show up at the age of 4 when she 
sat down at the piano and played a song for her mother that she had 
just heard on the radio. Music lessons then, of course, began at age 5, 
which were taught by her mother until she advanced to the Conservatory 
of Music Teachings and traveled to numerous States playing with their 
symphony orchestras from age 10 to 17.
  Throughout these formative years, she was also involved in school 
sports and a member of the Brownies and the Girl Scouts. It was while 
she was a Girl Scout at the age of 12 that she became involved in 
activities with the local Sunshine Camp for the Blind. From there she 
began teaching songs to the blind, piano to younger children, and 
became a summer camp counselor and taught horseback riding lessons.
  Martha married right out of college, and she and her husband recently 
celebrated their 44th wedding anniversary. They have two married 
children and three grandchildren. Moving to Georgia in 1975, as the 
children grew, she became so very involved in our community.

                              {time}  1915

  She has been involved with the Athens Area Association for Retarded 
Citizens, the Oconee Lions Club, Athens Evening Kiwanis Club, Oconee 
Optimist Club, the Oconee Pilot Club, and was a Special Olympics coach 
for over 12 years.
  She has served on the board of directors for Sandy Creek Nature 
Center, First Night Athens, and Project R.E.A.C.H. She has also served 
Oconee County on the Citizens Advisory Committee on Cultural and 
Recreational Affairs.
  Along with her fine husband, Peter, they have been major benefactors 
for numerous organizations, projects, and community groups such as the 
Athens Symphony and the Oconee County Public Library.
  In 2003, the Oconee Rotary Club awarded Martha with the Jean Harris 
Award, given each year to a non-Rotarian woman in recognition of 
significant contributions given to the community over and above the 
call of duty.
  Although these accomplishments and involvements are numerous and 
impressive, perhaps the most important contribution was the founding of 
Extra Special People, known as ESP. Martha Wyllie has put her energy, 
her love, and her financial resources into this program since its 
founding in 1986. For over 18 years, ESP has been providing a summer 
camp for youth and young adults ages 5 to 17 with different abilities. 
ESP camp provides a normal camping atmosphere for these young people.
  Martha and her staff realize that these children wish to participate 
in the normal experiences of growing, and the ESP philosophy allows 
them to take part in regular camping activities while still meeting 
their individual needs.
  Ms. Martha Wyllie, a tireless advocate who is the true definition of 
a good public servant, spends most of her waking hours helping everyone 
she touches to understand and to lend a hand to these very extra 
special people; and, Mr. Speaker, I wanted to share this woman with our 
colleagues.

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