[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6461]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                      IN HONOR OF LaVERNE JACKSON

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 17, 2016

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Mrs. 
LaVerne Guice Chatmon Jackson of Columbus, Georgia on her 97th birthday 
on May 17, 2016. Mrs. Jackson has been an outstanding member of the 
community through her work as a nurse for 37 years and her service to 
numerous civic and charitable organizations.
  LaVerne Guice was born in Birmingham, Alabama on May 17, 1919. She 
came from a large family of six children. Her father, Thomas Jefferson 
Guice, was a blacksmith for the Frisco railroad for many years and her 
mother, Minnie Waters Guice, was a teacher for over forty years.
  In 1936, Mrs. Jackson graduated from Industrial High School (now A.H. 
Parker High School) in Birmingham, Alabama. She earned a degree from 
the Norwood School of Nursing, also located in Birmingham. Mrs. Jackson 
continued her education at the University of Chicago, the University of 
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Miles College, and Tuskegee Institute 
(now University).
  Mrs. Jackson's Christian faith has been important to her since a 
young age when she chose to become baptized at Sardis Baptist Church in 
Birmingham. When she married the late Warren Pete Chatmon, II, she 
became a member of Green Liberty Baptist Church, where she served on 
the Usher Board and in the Young Matrons, and sang in the choir.
  Mrs. Jackson was able to touch many lives during her 37 years as a 
Public Health Nurse for the Jefferson County Department of Health in 
Birmingham. During those years, she worked in a variety of capacities, 
helping to heal people of all ages and from all walks of life. When she 
retired in 1984, she said, ``One could not have had a more rewarding 
career; to have the responsibility of promoting health and wellbeing is 
in itself rewarding for it has not only affected the present population 
but it will have an impact on future generations as well. You can be 
assured that I will continue to work in our community promoting health 
and wellbeing, for the nurse in me will never retire.''
  In 1986, Mrs. Jackson, then a widow, decided to move to Columbus, 
Georgia to reunite with her childhood sweetheart, the late CW4 Lawton 
W. Jackson. Mrs. Jackson and her husband became active members of the 
First African Baptist Church in Columbus.
  Mrs. Jackson quickly fell in love with her new city and volunteered 
much of her time to better the Columbus community. She served in the 
Metro Columbus Urban League, United Negro College Fund, American Heart 
Association, American Diabetes Association, March of Dimes, Lindsay 
Creek Association, Girl Scouts of America, Columbus Health Fair, and 
the Columbus Community Center. Mrs. Jackson also served the Fort 
Benning community as President, Vice President, and Chaplain of the 
Ladies Auxiliary of the Officer's Wives Club and the Chattahoochee 
Valley Chapter of the Retired Officers Association. Her giving spirit, 
concern for others, and contributions to the community led to Mrs. 
Jackson's induction into the Gracious Ladies of Georgia in 1995.
  Mrs. Jackson is also a charter member of the Xi Chapter of Chi Eta 
Phi Sorority, Inc. An active member for more than fifty years, Mrs. 
Jackson has served as president of both the Birmingham and Columbus 
chapters. On the national level, she served as the Dean of Pledges and 
South East Regional Director.
  Mrs. Jackson has lived a selfless and generous life, serving as a 
nurse and volunteer. She has been blessed with two children, Gwendolyn 
Chatmon Corrin and Warren Pete Chatmon, III; ten grandchildren; six 
great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me and my wife, Vivian, in 
extending our best wishes to LaVerne G. Jackson on her 97th birthday. 
As we celebrate another year of this outstanding citizen's life, we 
would do well to follow the example of her legacy of striving to 
improve the quality of life of others.




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