[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12511]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING ASHLEY PHILIPS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 22, 2006

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ashley Philips, a 
young woman of enormous potential whose life was tragically cut much 
too short this past weekend.
  Ashley Philips was a vibrant and ambitious young woman who seemed 
destined for success in whatever path she chose. She was an excellent 
student, having earned honors and achieved a superior grade point 
average at Tarpon Springs High in my hometown, where she participated 
in the veterinary program. She was a good athlete and ran track at 
school.
  Ashley also was dedicated to her community. She volunteered to help 
local senior citizens, worked at an area day care, and interned in the 
city clerk's office in Oldsmar, FL, in my congressional district. She 
also was the granddaughter of two of my closest friends, Oldsmar Mayor 
Jerry Beverland and his wife, Wanda, and was to serve as my 
congressional page this summer. I know they and Ashley's mother, Hope, 
and brother, Austin, were proud of what she had already accomplished, 
and looked forward to all that was to come for this remarkable young 
woman.
  Ashley also had daring dreams and lofty goals. She wanted to do so 
many things, including becoming a veterinarian, lawyer, photographer, 
and a writer. She no doubt would have achieved all that she had hoped. 
Her grandfather expressed how everyone feels, noting that she ``was a 
brilliant girl with a brilliant future, snatched away in the blink of 
an eye.''
  Mr. Speaker, I grieve for Ashley's family and friends. They are 
really the only ones who can truly understand how special she was and 
know how greatly she will be missed. Her friends and family and those 
with whom she came into contact would surely agree that the world is a 
much better place for having had her in it, no matter however briefly. 
I pray that her memory, and the knowledge that she will live in eternal 
peace, will comfort those who cared for her in this time of great 
sadness and sorrow.

                          ____________________