[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15670]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO ELIZABETH COARDS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 14, 2011

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a remarkable 
constituent.
  Ms. Elizabeth Coards is an extraordinary centenarian who resides in 
the Villas at Horizon Village, and serves as matriarch to a wonderful 
neighborhood in North Charleston, South Carolina, which was created 
through the Hope VI program.
  Ms. Coards was born in Summerville, South Carolina, on August 17, 
1909. Her parents were Benjamin Bracey, a brick maker, and Mattie 
Jones, a domestic worker. She attended Alston High School in 
Summerville, South Carolina.
  Following school, she went to work for a cigar factory in Charleston, 
South Carolina. Ms. Coards remembers that she was at the factory 
stripping tobacco when she heard about President Roosevelt signing 
Social Security into law in 1935. Soon after, she went looking for 
better opportunities in New York City. There she found work as a 
laundress and later as a nanny, staying with one family for 27 years. 
In 1980, Ms. Coards moved to Staunton, Virginia. She returned South 
Carolina and settled into North Charleston at the age of 101.
  Ms. Coards' first love is baseball. One of her fondest memories is 
taking the 5-cents subway ride to Brooklyn, where she saw Jackie 
Robinson hit his first home run for the Dodgers in 1947. Ms. Coards had 
a brief marriage in 1929, and had a son Harvey, who passed away in 
1975. She is currently a member of Faith Temple Church in Harleyville, 
SC, and a beloved resident of her new home at the Villas at Horizon 
Village.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in celebrating 
the contributions of Ms. Elizabeth Coards to the rich fabric of our 
country. She serves as an example of the wonderful centenarians that 
worked hard all their lives, raised families and participated in their 
communities. America is a remarkable country because of the 
contributions of productive citizens like Ms. Coards. It was my honor 
to meet her at the recent dedication of the Villas at Horizon Village, 
and I wish her much happiness and continued good health.

                          ____________________