[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4850]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Brooks of Alabama). The Chair recognizes 
the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Black) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of Women's 
History Month. Our Nation is blessed to have so many women who have 
played important roles in its formation across the country.
  I want to highlight one particular Renaissance woman from my neck of 
the woods, Tennessee.
  My home in Gallatin has a special significance to me in that it 
resides on the property that used to be known as the Fairvue house, 
which was eventually sold off and broken apart. One resident of Fairvue 
was a particularly notable woman by the name of Miss Ellen Stokes 
Wemyss, and to say that she lived a notable life would be an 
understatement.
  Born in 1895, Miss Wemyss lived a long, eventful life until she 
passed away in 2001 at the age of 106.

                              {time}  1030

  Over the course of her life, she marched in the Nashville Suffragette 
Parade, flew in an early airplane, and rode her horse into her 
eighties.
  Miss Wymess was an avid traveler who explored glaciers in Alaska and 
bicycled in France through her eighties. She even worked her plantation 
farm well into her nineties.
  When she wasn't working or embarking on adventures, she was giving 
back to our community, including giving to Volunteer State Community 
College, the Gallatin Day Care Center, Sumner Academy Day School, 
Sumner County Public Library, among many other local organizations.
  I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Wymess several years ago before 
she passed away, and it gives me great pleasure to have the opportunity 
to share just a peek of her wonderful life here on the House floor.
  As we celebrate Women's History Month, I encourage everyone to think 
about a role a woman has played in our rich American history.

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