[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15974]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO JOSEPHINE MARTIN

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                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 29, 2012

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mrs. 
Josephine Blocker Martin on the occasion of her one hundredth birthday. 
Born December 6, 1912 in Montgomery, South Carolina, Mrs. Martin has 
lived for over eighty years in Columbia, where she has made such 
positive impacts on so many that she is known to most--relatives and 
non-relatives alike--as ``Mother Martin.''
  She and Mr. Willie Martin were united in Holy Matrimony on October 
24, 1928, and they remained married until his death in 1981. Together 
they had ten children, Florence, James, Thomas, Charles, Curtis, 
Amanda, Will Jr., Willie Mae, Gail, and Lorraine. Mrs. Martin is now 
the proud grandmother of 34, great-grandmother of 70, and great-great-
grandmother of 16. In the words of her family, ``To know mom is to know 
true love.''
  Mrs. Martin is a dedicated member of Mt. Olive Baptist Church in 
Columbia, where she has worshipped faithfully each week for more than 
fifty years. Her favorite scripture is the first verse of Psalm 91, 
``He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the 
shadow of the Almighty.'' Her favorite hymn is ``We've Come This Far By 
Faith.'' As she completes a century on Earth, it is apparent that she 
is the living embodiment of both.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join me in 
congratulating Mrs. Martin on achieving this milestone and wishing her 
Godspeed and many more to come.

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