[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7941]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO MR. WILLIE VAUGHN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, growing up in a small rural town 
in extreme southeastern Arkansas presented for me and many of my peers 
many challenges, memorable moments, and interesting personalities. On 
April 20 of this year, one of those personalities, Mr. Willie Vaughn, 
reached a milestone in his life.
  Mr. Vaughn became 100 years old. He is still alive, still active, 
still sharp-minded, goes to church, participates in activities. So I 
take this opportunity to congratulate him for not only living this 
long, but for the many things he was able to provide leadership to and 
that he accomplished during his lifetime.
  Mr. Willie Vaughn was actually my uncle. We always called him Uncle 
Dude. He is technically my mother's stepbrother. However, they never 
acted as though they were anything except brothers and sisters who were 
integral parts of a large family group. In addition, he and my father 
had always been close friends and church associates. Therefore, our 
families were always very close and exhibited great feelings of 
kinship, friendship, and fellowship.
  Uncle Dude was always a leader, at work, at church, in community 
activities, in family matters, in life. Like practically all of the 
other blacks in our town, he had very little formal education, but has 
always been one of the smartest men that I have ever known. He was a 
farmer, a sharecropper, but he was also a tailor and could make you a 
suit of clothes. He could cut your hair, make molasses and syrup, buy 
and rent real estate, and drove the school bus once we got one.
  Uncle Dude was probably best known as a church leader, negotiator, 
and mentor. He kept the Penny's Chapel CMA church on the map, and was a 
constant visitor to other churches throughout the region. He was the 
epitome of excellence and no job was too small or too large. He had a 
motto that if a task was once begun, never leave until it was done. Be 
the job great or small, do it well or not at all.
  He did everything at church there was to do. He could sing. He was 
chairman of the trustee board, Sunday school superintendent and 
teacher, fund-raiser, program planner, and would clean up, cut the 
grass, and do everything else that was required.

                              {time}  1800

  Uncle Dude was, and still is, a tremendous family man, a patriarch. 
My Aunt L.C. and all of my cousins always knew that Uncle Dude was a 
man who they could depend upon and count on and be proud of his 
leadership, personal support, and well-being for his family.
  He was a strong proponent of formal education and created many 
opportunities for me and others like me to learn. Uncle Dude, Brother 
Willie, Mr. Vaughn, he was called many things by many different people, 
but always with respect. He has been a giant, a legend, a mentor, a man 
among men. He learned to walk with kings and queens but never lost the 
common touch. All people matter with him; but none too much. I am proud 
to be in this man's family and proud to wish him a happy birthday as he 
reached the ripe age of 100.

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