[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8557]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     TRIBUTE TO LARRY WILLIAMS AND JEVON GRAHAM, ASSISTANT CHIEFS, 
                        CLEARWATER FIRE & RESCUE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID W. JOLLY

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 10, 2016

  Mr. JOLLY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize two men, Larry 
Williams and Jevon Graham, and congratulate them for being named 
Assistant Chiefs of Clearwater Fire and Rescue.
  Larry Williams and Jevon Graham were recently promoted to Assistant 
Fire Chiefs after achieving the top two scores among 43 applicants for 
the position. Mr. Williams and Mr. Graham, the first African American 
administrators in the history of the department, are making strides in 
their field and helping pave the way for future generations of the 
Clearwater Fire and Rescue teams.
  In the City of Clearwater, there are 196 Fire and Rescue employees 
and only 14 of them are African-American, comprising seven percent of 
the force. Mr. Williams and Mr. Graham's promotion to Assistant Fire 
Chiefs is a tremendous step forward for the Tampa Bay area and I 
applaud Mr. Williams and Mr. Graham for their efforts in our community.
  Mr. Williams' own heroes and mentors were firefighters who also broke 
racial barriers at the St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue station. He has 
served for 20 years with Clearwater Fire and Rescue. I thank him for 
the decades of service he has already given to us. Mr. Williams will be 
becoming the Assistant Chief of Suppression.
  Mr. Graham became a firefighter in 1998 and at the time was one of 
three minority firefighters in the department. He has worked for 17 
years with Clearwater Fire and Rescue in various capacities including 
as a member of the dive team, technical rescue team, and as a 
lieutenant for 12 years. He will serve as Assistant Chief of Health and 
Safety.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank and acknowledge Mr. Graham and Mr. 
Williams for their dedication to our community and to Clearwater Fire 
and Rescue. They are role models for Pinellas County. I ask that this 
body join me in thanking them for their service and wishing them 
success in their new roles as Assistant Chiefs of Clearwater Fire and 
Rescue.

                          ____________________