[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16189]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING L. GOEBEL PATTON FOR HIS YEARS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE TO 
                           SOUTHERN ILLINOIS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. WILLIAM L. ENYART

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 23, 2013

  Mr. ENYART. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me 
in honoring L. Goebel Patton on his 100th Birthday--tomorrow, October 
24, and in recognizing his many years of community service in Southern 
Illinois.
  Considered by many as ``Mr. Southern Illinois,'' Goebel Patton has 
worn many hats in his 80+ years of service to the people in his region. 
Educator, administrator, board member, lodge member, church and 
community leader, mentor--While this is an impressive list, it does not 
encompass all the roles that Goebel Patton has filled in service to the 
people of Southern Illinois.
  Goebel Patton began his career as an educator at Logan School in West 
Frankfort, Illinois in 1931, just prior to his 18th birthday. He served 
as principal of several area elementary and middle schools before 
serving as Principal and Superintendent at Frankfort Community High 
School from 1946-1960. Between 1960 and 1970, Patton put his years of 
experience in education to use as Director of Public and Professional 
Relations for the Illinois Education Association before returning to 
Southern Illinois as Superintendent of Frankfort Community School 
District No. 168, the school district that he was instrumental in 
forming, from 1970 to 1984.
  A member of the Second Baptist Church in West Frankfort for over 75 
years, Patton has had the same impact and influence in that 
congregation as in his community. He was instrumental in constructing 
two sanctuaries for the church and organized a weekly Men's Prayer 
Group in 1990.
  Patton has served on virtually every community and charitable 
organization in Franklin County. The list includes: Lions Club, Masonic 
Lodge, Salvation Army, Franklin-Williamson Human Services, Egyptian 
Council, Boy Scouts, JALC Foundation, SIU Foundation and the American 
Cancer Society. As chairman of the fund raising committee, he helped 
raise $600,000 for an Aquatics and Activity Center in West Frankfort. A 
banquet room in the center was named in his honor.
  After his 98th birthday, Patton received a six year appointment to 
the Board of Trustees of a new private college being organized in West 
Frankfort. When asked about taking on such a lengthy commitment at his 
age, he repeated one of his favorite quotes for which he is famous in 
Southern Illinois--``Community service is the rent we pay for the space 
we occupy on this earth.''
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing L. Goebel 
Patton a Happy 100th Birthday and thanking him for a lifetime of 
community service.

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