[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 18094-18095]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE MAYOR OF BECKLEY, WEST VIRGINIA, EMMETT S. PUGH III

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 3, 2013

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, many of us recall one of the lessons of the 
late Speaker Tip O'Neil who advised us, if ``a constituent calls about 
a problem, even if it's a streetlight out, you don't tell him to call 
City Hall. You call City Hall.''
  That is a lesson in government service that those at the helm in City 
Halls across this nation know all too well. I refer, of course, to our 
mayors--the mayors of America who gladly take calls, 24/7, about 
matters A-to-Z, in and out of their city limits.
  Mr. Speaker, West Virginia has been blessed by a plethora of long-
serving mayors, men and women who have devoted entire careers to caring 
for their hometowns. These public servants not only know everyone in 
line at the local grocery store, they also know their parents and 
grandparents as well as their children and their grandchildren.
  To those term-limit zealots out there, I will say these local elected 
officials know the severest term limit of all--the town election. And 
yet, election after election, voters repeatedly return so many of these 
faithful people to public service. Voters know their mayors and know 
them well, and it says something meaningful when they choose to reelect 
them over and over again.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, I note a celebration happening in my own hometown 
this week to honor the City of Beckley's longest serving mayor, Emmett 
S. Pugh III.
  Mr. Speaker, in this native son of Beckley, public service roots run 
deep. His grandfather, A.K. Minter, served as mayor from 1938 to 1959. 
His other grandfather, E.S. Pugh, served on common council.
  Growing up in Beckley, he formed lasting friendships that served as a 
foundation for his deep sense of caring about people and their problems 
and his commitment to finding solutions to the community's challenges.
  As a Babe Ruth second baseman and shortstop, Emmett helped win the 
state championship--a first for a Babe Ruth team from Beckley. He grew 
up with boys who would eventually become business and community 
leaders: Pat Fragile, the Rosenbaum twins, Palmer Farley, and Fred 
Lewis, who would become a Supreme Court justice in Florida.
  Emmett joined a local band, the Red Barons. He and several friends 
formed their own ``fraternity'' at Woodrow Wilson High School, calling 
themselves the ``Dirty Dozen.'' The Red Barons would eventually appear 
on Dick Clark's ``Cavalcade of Stars''. The fortunes of the ``Dirty 
Dozen'' are far less clear.
  A 1973 University of Alabama graduate and Political Science major 
with a specialization in State and Local Government, Emmett began his 
professional career as President of Bowl-wick, Inc., serving there for 
thirteen years. He then became a broker for Wheat First Securities for 
two years. He served as Councilman-at-Large for the City of Beckley 
from 1979 until 1988, at which time he became Mayor of the City of 
Beckley, a position he holds today.
  He has served as the Legislative Chairman of the West Virginia 
Municipal League sixteen times over the years as well as Chairman of 
the West Virginia Municipal Home Rule Board. He is a past president of 
the 4-C Economic Development Authority and Beckley Rotary Club. He has 
served as Chairman of the Region I Planning and Development Council in 
Princeton, the Beckley Sanitary Board, the Pinecrest Development 
Corporation, and Beckley Renaissance. He has also served as Director of 
the Mountain State University Foundation, Board of Directors/Vice-
President and past Campaign Chair of the United Way of Southern West 
Virginia, a member of the Raleigh County Airport Authority, a member of 
the Board of Trustees for Beckley Little League, and Vice Chairman of 
Appalachian Regional Healthcare in Lexington, Kentucky.
  Awards Mayor Pugh has received include being named Past Mayor of the 
Year, being a recipient of four All Star Community Awards and the Paul 
Harris Fellow from the Beckley Rotary Club. He was also the proud 
recipient of the 2009 Spirit of Beckley Award. Mr. Pugh is a member of 
the National League of Cities, Moose International, NAACP, and the West 
Virginia Municipal League.
  During his tenure, the fortunes of the City that Emmett Pugh serves 
as mayor have grown. The list is long, but projects Mayor Pugh has led 
include the renovation of the police garage, the construction of two 
new fire stations, the annexation of additional properties that have 
expanded the City's reach, the razing of deteriorated properties to 
open opportunities for renewal, the paving and enhancement of streets 
and addition of traffic lights, the purchase of equipment for community 
playgrounds, and the addition of picnic shelters in community parks. 
His handiwork can be seen in the Beckley Intermodal Gateway, the Rahall 
Company Store, Thornhill Courts, Freedom and Word Parks, and the Lewis-
McManus Trail. And, the list goes on.
  As long as humankind holds public office, the Good Book teaches us 
there will be no perfect office holders. But we can thank the Almighty 
that there are talented, dedicated, caring human hearts and minds that 
take up the call to public service.
  It has been said that the highest honor one can receive is one from 
those who themselves walk in our shoes. That Emmett's fellow Mayors 
have honored him not once, not twice, but three unprecedented times, 
electing him as their League President, and presenting him with their 
``Quiet Strength'' Award speaks volumes. Emmett's mentor, John 
McCulloch, a former Beckley Mayor himself, helped put Emmett's own 
quiet strength to work for the good families, businesses and industries 
of Beckley. Over the decades, whether calling City Hall, the Mayor's 
home, or even his cell phone, one knew that the quiet strength of 
Emmett Pugh could be counted on to answer. For that, we thank my long-
time friend and ALL of Beckley's Mayor, Emmett Pugh.

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