[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 14790-14791]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING REPRESENTATIVE RON STEPHENS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Carter) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my 
lifelong friend, Representative Ron Stephens from Savannah, Georgia, 
for being awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Armstrong State 
University.
  Chairman Stephens represents the 164th District in the Georgia 
General Assembly. During his time in the legislature, he has done a 
remarkable job representing his constituents.
  Currently, he is the chairman of the House Economic Development and 
Tourism Committee and a member of the Appropriations, Rules, and Ways 
and Means Committees, allowing him to advocate important issues for his 
constituency. In addition, Governor Nathan Deal appointed Mr. Stephens 
to the Georgia Tourism Foundation.
  Before his time in the Georgia General Assembly, Chairman Stephens 
was already working for the betterment of his community. He began his 
career in pharmacy and served the medical needs of others for 37 years. 
Thereafter, he served as a councilman in Garden City, Georgia.
  I am proud of my lifelong friend for his work, and I am overjoyed 
that he is receiving the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Armstrong 
State University.


                     Recognizing Coach Doyle Kelley

  Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Doyle 
Kelley from Savannah, Georgia, who passed away on September 30.
  Mr. Kelley, known throughout the Savannah community as Coach Kelley, 
dedicated his life to teaching and mentoring students.
  After graduating from Armstrong State University in 1969, Coach 
Kelley started coaching Jenkins High School's basketball team, sparking 
his commitment to students. Coach Kelley's passion shows not only in 
his incredible success on the court, but also the notorious 
testimonials from students about how he changed their lives for the 
better.
  After he moved to coach basketball at Savannah Christian Preparatory 
School, he had 427 victories in basketball, along with 18 State 
championships in three sports, but the number of students he positively 
impacted is far greater.
  After his successful years in the sport, Coach Kelley served as the 
high school principal for 14 years at Savannah Christian until his 
retirement.
  His caring and compassionate nature was seen by everyone in the 
community, from friends, colleagues, students, and certainly family 
members. Coach Kelley's presence in the community will be deeply missed 
and felt by all who had the pleasure of knowing him.


                        Honoring Winston Hencely

  Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask for your 
thoughts and prayers for Mr. Winston Hencely.
  Mr. Hencely was injured in the suicide attack on Bagram Air Base in 
Afghanistan on November 12. Four brave Americans were killed in the 
attack and Mr. Hencely was one of 16 soldiers who were injured. He was 
immediately transported to Germany for treatment and surgery, but is 
currently in critical condition.
  This attack is a sobering reminder of the harsh reality that our 
soldiers must endure during their deployment.
  I encourage everyone to keep our Nation's soldiers in their thoughts 
and, especially, Mr. Winston Hencely during his time of need.

[[Page 14791]]

  Mr. Hencely, thank you for your service to our country, and we will 
be with you every step of the way.


                       Recognizing John Rutledge

  Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
life of Mr. John Rutledge, who passed away on September 11, 2016, at 
the age of 96.
  Mr. Rutledge's life has been quite extraordinary as he has been on 
hand for some incredible events in our Nation's history.
  On December 7, 1941, Mr. Rutledge was aboard the USS California 
during the attack on Pearl Harbor, narrowly escaping with his life. The 
next year, he was at the Battle of Midway in the Pacific Ocean, 
covering the battle as a photographer and filming the burning of 
Japanese ships.
  Mr. Rutledge continued his service to our Nation long after his time 
with the military and fighting in World War II. For the next 20 years, 
he taught science classes at Pensacola High School.
  I am proud to honor someone who dedicated so much of his life to the 
betterment of our Nation.
  Mr. Rutledge, you will be greatly missed.

                          ____________________