[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 19-20]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               THE LEGACY OF REVEREND JOHN LAWSON VAUGHN

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                           HON. PHIL GINGREY

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 13, 2012

  Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the theme of the Civil Rights 
Era, ``Road to Freedom,'' honors the legacy in Leadership exemplified 
by Rev. J.L. Vaughn. While riding the bus to Main High School, the 
students witnessed Reverend Vaughn walking across the South Rome Bridge 
in Rome, Georgia, daily at 7 a.m. carrying a Bible under his arm. He 
was going to City Hall, the Courthouse, and to business owners in the 
downtown district to advocate for equal rights. The lunch counter sit-
ins took place in Rome on March 28, 1963. When the Civil Rights Bill 
was passed in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965, 
Reverend Vaughn used his pulpit to speak to the citizens and allowed 
white politicians to give a campaign speech in his church. The voting 
ballot was unfamiliar to black citizens and they had to be taught how 
to use it. He stressed the importance of exercising the right to vote.
  The legacy of Reverend Vaughn began long before he crossed over the 
bridge in the 1960's through times of racial struggles in Rome to be a 
voice for the Black community. He died in 1979, and Rome's first 
African

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American was appointed to serve as a public official on the City Board 
of Commissioners in 1980. Reverend Vaughn's funeral service was held at 
the First Baptist Church on East 4th Street, Rome, Georgia.
  John Lawson Vaughn was one of twelve children, born in 1881. He 
worked hard helping his father make a living for the family. As a boy, 
his father sent him to Tuskegee Institute to study in the farm 
educational and vocational academy. He studied for four years; helping 
in the wheel shop during his spare time. He began his ministerial 
career on February 11, 1911.
  His first pastorate was the Shiloh Baptist Church of Alabama City, 
Alabama. In 1917, Reverend Vaughn came to Rome as Pastor of the Lovejoy 
Baptist Church, where he served for over fifty years. During three 
summers he studied in Gadsden, Alabama working toward his degree and 
then entered Morehouse College. He returned to Rome in 1923 with his 
degree and once again took over the pastorate of the church. Reverend 
Vaughn also served as pastor of Flint Hill Baptist Church of 
Gaylesville, Alabama, where he served for 25 years. While in Rome, he 
also served Matthew Chapel Baptist Church for 4 years, Friendship 
Baptist Church of Adairsville, Georgia for 9 years, and the Hopewell 
Baptist Church of Dalton, Georgia for 14 years.
  In 1948, Reverend Vaughn was elected as Vice President of the Rome 
Ministerial Alliance, composed of both black and white ministers. This 
was the first time an African American had been elected to an office. 
Reverend Vaughn's interests did not stop with problems of just his own 
congregation. He was constantly being called on to help solve 
outsiders' problems and to aid needy families, and he also posted bail 
to get people out of jail. During the Christmas Season, he was one of 
the leading figures in the Empty Stocking Fund, and also one of the 
prime forces in helping Rome Black Leaders procure a band for Old Main 
High School. He was looked upon as a leader in all civic drives and 
campaigns benefiting both races, and he freely gave of his time and 
monies to help build a better Rome.

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