[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 16000]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING HAROLD COKER

  (Mr. FLEISCHMANN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, this weekend the Third District of 
Tennessee lost a beloved member of its community, Mr. Harold Coker.
  As the first in his family to graduate from college, Harold displayed 
his unique ambition at a young age. In his late twenties, he started 
his own business, Coker Tire Company, in Athens, Tennessee. Thanks to 
Harold's hard work and dedication, Coker Tire expanded into Chattanooga 
and soon became the largest supplier of collector tires in the world.
  Harold's involvement and leadership in his community was admired 
throughout the Nation. In fact, when the first of my colleagues, Sam 
Graves, the chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, visited 
the Third District, I took him directly to Coker Tire to show him one 
of Chattanooga's most prized businesses.
  I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with Harold and will 
miss his lively, ambitious spirit. My thoughts and prayers are with his 
beloved wife, Lil, and their children, grandchildren, and great-
grandchildren. Harold's legacy in the automotive industry and Tennessee 
community will forever be remembered.

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