[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 27764]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            IN RECOGNITION OF THE PASSING OF DR. BERT SUTTON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JEFF MILLER

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 16, 2009

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. 
Bert Sutton, a Northwest Florida leader who passed away on November 12, 
2009. Dr. Sutton spent his life serving our community, and I am proud 
to honor his lifetime of dedication and service.
  Dr. E.W. ``Bert'' Sutton was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and grew up 
in Port St. Joe, Florida. After graduating from the University of 
Alabama and then Tulane Medical School, Bert opened his first practice 
in 1960 in Santa Rosa County, Florida. In 1979, Bert was appointed 
Director of the Santa Rosa County Health Department, where he served 
for over 24 years until his retirement in 2003. He oversaw public 
health in the county for more than two decades.
  In addition to his day-to-day duties at the Department of Health, Dr. 
Sutton was instrumental in the opening of the Rehabilitation Institute 
of West Florida in 1978, now a part of the West Florida Hospital 
System. The institute serves people recovering from accidents and those 
suffering from neurological or orthopedic conditions. He also helped 
found the Rehabilitation Foundation of Northwest Florida which provides 
financial support for disabled people to receive physical therapy and 
prosthetics. In 2001, Dr. Sutton helped establish the Santa Rosa 
Community Clinic providing medical services to the poor and uninsured. 
He always put service to others first, and he will be missed by all of 
us in Northwest Florida.
  Madam Speaker, on behalf of the United States Congress, I am 
privileged to recognize the life of Dr. Bert Sutton. With close to 50 
years of faithful service to Northwest Florida, Bert will be forever 
remembered as a part of the fabric of our community. My wife Vicki and 
I offer our prayers for his wife, Fran, children, Karen, Sherman, 
Steven, Patsy, Erin, Stacy, and Tracey, grandchildren, great-
grandchildren, and entire extended family as we remember and honor the 
life of Bert Sutton.

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