[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 11716]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO GEORGE DEMENT, MAYOR OF BOSSIER CITY, LOUISIANA

 Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize George 
Dement, mayor of Bossier City, LA. Mayor Dement will retire from office 
on June 30, 2005, after 16 years of service to northwest Louisiana. 
Mayor Dement is retiring from public service on the same date he was 
inaugurated 16 years earlier. Today, I take a moment to offer warm 
thanks for his years of service to Bossier City and best wishes for his 
coming commendation ceremonies.
  A native of Princeton, LA, Mayor Dement served in the U.S. Submarine 
Service in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters during WorId War II 
and was present when the Japanese surrendered at Tokyo Bay. After 5 
years of military service, he attended Centenary College and Louisiana 
State University Shreveport. Upon completing his studies, Mayor Dement 
began a 22-year tenure with Holiday Inn and was named Innkeeper of the 
Year in 1976. In 1989, he was elected mayor of Bossier City where he 
has been reelected three times--all with large margins of victory.
  As mayor, Mr. Dement will be remembered for his leadership and 
accessibility. During his tenure, Mayor Dement led the way on four 
different phases of the Arthur Ray Teague Parkway and also poured large 
amounts of energy into revitalizing key areas of Bossier City.
  Fondly referred to as ``the people's mayor,'' Mr. Dement is known for 
his honesty and commonsense approach to governing. I come to the Senate 
floor today to join the residents of Bossier City in personally 
commending, honoring, and thanking him for his 16 years of service to 
northwest Louisiana.

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