[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4312]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE MEMORY OF ALABAMA STATE SENATOR W.H. ``PAT'' LINDSEY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 13, 2009

  Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, the state of Alabama recently lost a dear 
friend, and I rise today to honor Alabama State Senator W.H. ``Pat'' 
Lindsey and pay tribute to his memory.
  Considered by many to be a living legend in Alabama politics, Sen. 
Lindsey was one of the most powerful members of the Alabama Senate. At 
the time of this death, he held the second longest active tenure in the 
state Senate.
  Born in Meridian, Mississippi, Sen. Lindsey graduated from Choctaw 
County High School, where he was a five-year letterman in football, 
basketball, and baseball. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in 
geology from the University of Alabama. He served in the U.S. Army and 
Army Reserves from 1958 until 1963 and in the Alabama Army National 
Guard's 156th Military Police Battalion from 1963 until he retired with 
the rank of captain in 1972. In 1963, he graduated from the University 
of Alabama School of Law and, just three years later, was elected to 
the Alabama Senate and served two terms until 1974.
  Sen. Lindsey returned to the Alabama Senate in 1990 and was reelected 
in 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2006. He was a longtime member of the Senate 
Judiciary Committee and was well known for questioning his fellow 
lawmakers on how their bills would affect everyday people. With his 
background in geology, Sen. Lindsey was regarded by his colleagues as 
an expert on oil and natural gas exploration and was often sought out 
by his colleagues for his advice on related legislation.
  Described by the Choctaw Sun-Advocate as a ``champion of education,'' 
Sen. Lindsey was well-known for his ``staunch support, both financial 
and otherwise, of K-12 and the college level education.'' He played a 
key role in securing funds for the construction of the library and 
adult education center at Alabama Southern Community College in 
Gilbertown. At the opening of the W.H. ``Pat'' Lindsey Library and 
Adult Education Community Center in March of 2005, Sen. Lindsey told 
the crowd, ``There are two things that I have a passion for: kids 
playing ball and libraries. I've had other things named for me in other 
places, but this means more because this is home.''
  Beginning in 1993, Sen. Lindsey served for 12 years on the board of 
trustees of the University of South Alabama and, in that capacity, he 
was instrumental in helping to improve the university's academic and 
healthcare missions. He was a member of the Alabama Bar Association, 
the American Bar Association, the Choctaw County Chamber of Commerce, 
and the University of Alabama Alumni Association. Sen. Lindsey had also 
represented both the Choctaw County Commission and the town of Butler 
as chief legal counsel since 1965.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering a 
dedicated community leader and friend to many throughout Alabama. 
Senator W.H. ``Pat'' Lindsey will be dearly missed by his family--his 
son, Patrick Lindsey; his daughter, Lori Champion and her husband 
Jamey; his sister, Kay Kimbrough; and his two grandchildren, Kate and 
Sophie--as well as the countless friends he leaves behind.
  Our thoughts and prayers are with them all during this difficult 
time.

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