[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9239]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY TO ROBERT GRAY SHIPLEY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish a well-deserved happy 
100th birthday to a pillar of Watauga County, Mr. Robert Gray Shipley, 
Sr. Mr. Shipley was born in Valle Crucis, North Carolina, on June 23, 
1912. Growing up on his parents' farm, Mr. Shipley's aptitude for 
agriculture and ranching was evident from a young age.

                              {time}  1100

  He put that skill to use, working his way through college, milking 
cows, judging livestock competitions, and maintaining records in 
Virginia Polytechnic Institute's dairy department.
  Mr. Shipley began teaching upon his graduation from Virginia Tech in 
1933, and aside from the time he spent in the United States Air Force 
as a gunnery instructor on B-24 bombers; teaching agriculture in an 
innovative and hands-on manner is what he did for most of his 
professional life. In fact, Mr. Shipley counts among his many students 
my husband, Tom.
  Today, if you take a trip down to Watauga County, evidence of Mr. 
Shipley's involvement in the community is everywhere. He helped 
organize the Watauga County Hereford Association, he taught sheep 
sheering at 4-H clubs, and he ran the Cove Creek Horse Show for two 
decades. He's a member of the North Carolina State Fair Hall of Fame, 
the Western North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame, and the North 
Carolina Livestock Hall of Fame. He's a charter member of the Boone 
Rotary Club and is a mainstay in the Cove Creek Ruritan Club, working 
faithfully at every monthly fish fry.
  Throughout his busy life, Mr. Shipley has had a wonderful partner, 
his wife of nearly 70 years, Agnes. Together, they are the proud 
parents of three children, grandparents to six, and great-grandparents 
to nine. This weekend, friends and former students of the Shipleys will 
be gathering at the historic Cove Creek High School in Sugar Grove to 
celebrate Mr. Shipley's 100th birthday and Mrs. Shipley's 95th 
birthday.
  I speak for the community when I express gratitude for the lives of 
the Shipleys and for their being the wonderful role models that they 
are.

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