[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 18025-18026]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING CHARLES PAUL BUTLER JR., ON HIS EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 27, 2007

  Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Mr. 
Charles Paul Butler Jr., on the occasion of his eightieth birthday. 
Charley Butler, a long time resident of Brundidge, Alabama, in Pike 
County, has been widely recognized for his community service, and I am 
honored to add my recognition on the floor of the House of 
Representatives today.
  Charley Butler and his family relocated to Brundidge, Alabama, in 
1961. There began what would become a lifetime commitment to the Boy 
Scouts of America, Troop 34. That troop had been languishing for a 
number of years, but Mr. Butler spearheaded an effort to restore its 
vitality. He recruited a superb bullpen of adult leaders and lined up 
important sponsors such as the local Army National Guard Armory. The 
troop became the pride of the Alabama-Florida Council as one of the 
best equipped, most active troops in the region. Troop 34 consistently 
spent more days encamped than any surrounding troop and was the envy of 
all when it showed up at Camp Ala-Flo in its custom-painted Troop 34 
school bus. Of most significance, Scoutmaster Butler was constantly 
teaching and imparting the values that are so important to the 
development of young men. During Mr. Butler's tenure as scoutmaster of 
Troop 34, seventeen members of the community earned the rare rank of 
Eagle, a remarkable achievement for a small troop from a small town.
  Mr. Butler's contributions to the Boy Scouts have been widely 
recognized. The Boy Scouts of America awarded him the prestigious 
``Silver Beaver Award,'' top recognition for an adult volunteer leader. 
And in 1988, at ``Scout Day'' at the Brundidge United Methodist Church, 
he received a particularly fitting tribute. On that day, a group of his 
former Eagle Scouts gathered to present Mr. Butler with a statue of a 
scoutmaster as a simple expression of thanks for the important role he 
had played in each of their lives. Among the Eagle Scouts gathered that 
day were his own two sons, as well as several fatherless boys who 
considered him very much like a father.
  Charley Butler has also been widely recognized by the broader 
community. He received the ``Civic Achievement Award'' for 2007 from 
the alumni association of Kettering University (formerly GMI 
Engineering and Management Institute) of Flint, Michigan. In 2003, he 
received the Brundidge Business Association ``Humanitarian Award.'' 
Active for many years in the Brundidge Rotary Club, he has been 
recognized frequently by that organization. He is a three time 
recipient of the group's ``Service above Self Award,'' a 2001 recipient 
of the ``Rotary Special Service Award,'' and in 1986, the recipient of 
Rotary's highest recognition, the ``Paul Harris Fellow Award.'' More 
recently, the Brundidge Rotary Club presented Mr. Butler a ``Lifetime 
of Service Award'' for his outstanding service from 1975 to 2007.
  Madam Speaker, Charley Butler truly personifies the motto ``service 
above self.'' His sacrifices of time, effort and energy have truly made 
his community a better place. His legacy is well-established and will 
be long-lasting. I am proud to add my name to the list of those 
recognizing him, and I offer him best wishes on his eightieth birthday.

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