[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4099]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING MILTON GASTON

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 12, 2016

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable civil servant, Mr. Milton Gaston.
  Born in Hollandale, Mississippi, Milton Gaston was nurtured and 
reared by his parents, the late James and Luella Gaston, in Glen Allen, 
Mississippi. He is the seventh born of eleven children to his parents. 
Gaston proudly admits that his parents reared them to be a close-knit 
family and his siblings and he remain so today.
  Milton Gaston was educated in the Glen Allen Public Schools.
  Understanding the meaning of family as so taught by his parents, Mr. 
Gaston met and married Ms. Alice Watts. To their union, six (6) 
children and ten (10) grandchildren are being shaped for this most 
extraordinary world.
  To support his family, Mr. Gaston began work with the Washington 
County Sheriff's Department on January 20, 1986 under the leadership of 
the late Sheriff Harvey Tackett, Sr. In July of that same year, Milton 
Gaston, Sr., became the only civilian sent to the Jackson Police 
Academy in Jackson, Mississippi to be certified and deputized under 
Sheriff Tackett's administration. Because of his work ethics, 
Greenville Optimist Club named him as Deputy Sheriff of the year in 
1989.
  On November 3, 2003, Washington County elected Milton Gaston, Sr. as 
Sheriff of Washington County, Mississippi. At the age of 42, he was the 
first African American in this county to hold this distinguished 
position. County Court Chancellor Vernita King-Johnson swore him in on 
January 5, 2004 to uphold this position to serve and protect the 
citizens of Washington County, Mississippi. Currently, Sheriff Gaston 
is in his third term, serving more than twenty-nine (29) years in law 
enforcement with a plethora of training on the state and federal level. 
Additionally, he has initiated and overseen a Juvenile Justice 
Intervention/Prevention Program that was developed to rebuild at risk 
youth between the ages of 12-15. The program was called ``Biggest 
S.U.C.C.E.S.S.,'' which is an acronym for Students Unanimously 
Conceiving Confidence & Excellence in Skills and Success. The program 
was grant funded for one year. Currently, under his leadership, the 
TRIAD of Washington County was established in 2012. This organization 
is comprised of senior citizens working with law enforcement to address 
their safety needs in the community. It is also state funded and has 
been approved for the current year's funding.
  Sheriff Gaston's staff is comprised of approximately 120 people 
between Washington County Sheriff's Department and Washington County 
Regional Correctional Facility--all of whom he requires to help make 
Washington County, Mississippi a safe place for all of its citizens.
  As if he is not constantly busy enough, Sheriff Gaston devotes his 
time and servitude as a member of New Hope First Baptist Church, Vice-
President of the Usher Board, a member of the male choir, a member of 
the 100 Black Men of the Mississippi Delta, a member of the Lake Vista 
Masonic Lodge Number 46, a member of the Serene Lodge Number 567, a 
member of the NAACP, and a board member of the Boy's and Girl's Club.
  Yet, after committing himself to all of this, his Lord, his family, 
his career, and his affiliations, he still manages to conceive other 
ingenious ideas to help citizens in our area. He is indeed, ``The 
Peoples' Sheriff,'' and he considers it a pleasure to serve the 
citizens of Washington County, Mississippi by striving to make it a 
safer place in which to live.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Sheriff 
Milton Gaston for his dedication to serving others and giving back to 
his community.

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