[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14553-14554]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 ON THE PASSING OF GEORGE H. WEDGWORTH

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 17, 2016

  Mr. HASTINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the loss of my good 
friend, George H.

[[Page 14554]]

Wedgworth. A leader and icon of the Florida agricultural industry, 
George's contribution to the Glades community cannot be overstated and 
will be felt for generations to come.
  In 1960, George founded the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of 
Florida. During his more than 50 years as the organization's leader, 
George grew the Cooperative into the single largest employer in Belle 
Glade, Florida. Today, as a result of George's leadership and vision, 
the Cooperative, along with its partner, Florida Crystals Corporation, 
own the largest sugar refining company in the world, accounting for 6 
million tons of refined sugar capacity and net sales of $4 billion 
annually.
  George's professional success led him to be named Sugar Man of the 
Year in 2005. But his success and impact in our community was not 
limited to the sugar industry. Throughout his long career, George was 
president and director of numerous organizations, including the Florida 
Fruit & Vegetable Association, and the Florida and Belle Glade Chambers 
of Commerce. In the 1950s he also founded the Florida Celery Exchange. 
His contributions to the agricultural industry led to his introduction 
into The Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1994 and to being named 
one of Florida's ``Most Influential Men'' by Florida Trend magazine.
  For those that had the pleasure of knowing George, they know all 
about the impact he had in his community. George grew up in the Glades 
and is as much a part of its history as the sugar cane that is grown 
there. Moving from Mississippi to Belle Glade, Florida with his family 
when he was 2, George went on to graduate from Belle Glade High School. 
Leaving the area for only a short time to attend Michigan State 
College, now Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in 
agricultural engineering, he returned to the Glades and lived much of 
his life in the same one-story concrete block house his mother, Ruth, 
built in 1941.
  Mr. Speaker, in an interview speaking about the Glades, George once 
remarked, ``I've never had the desire to go anywhere else.'' That was 
the kind of man George was; a man who grew up in the Glades and through 
hard work and dedication went on to positively transform the fabric of 
our community. George H. Wedgworth will be remembered as a titan of 
Florida agriculture, but more importantly he will be remembered as a 
pillar of the community that he loved. His legacy will live on for 
generations to come, and he will be dearly missed.

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