[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15839]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        IN HONOR OF THE 80TH BIRTHDAY OF JUANITA VARNADO PIERCE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE ROGERS

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 11, 2017

  Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I ask for the House's attention 
to recognize the 80th birthday of Juanita Varnado Pierce.
  Juanita was born to the late Howard and Maggie Lee Varnado and grew 
up in McComb, Mississippi. She graduated from Tuskegee Institute, now 
Tuskegee University, in 1974 with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education 
and from Auburn University with a Master's in Early Childhood Education 
in August of 1975.
  Juanita was married to the late Booker T. Pierce, Sr. and was blessed 
with three children: Booker T. Pierce, Jr. (Nashville, Tennessee), 
Vincent B. Pierce (St. Louis, Missouri) and Lisa P. Grant (Alexandria, 
Virginia). They have two grandsons, Dominque Pierce (Pompano Beach, 
Florida) and Nicholas B. Grant, who is a third year Mechanical 
Engineering Student at Georgia Tech.
  Juanita started teaching 2nd grade at Dean Road Elementary School in 
Auburn in August of 1975 and continued teaching 2nd grade for 17 years. 
After completing her Administration Certification from the University 
of Alabama, she was hired as the Assistant Principal at Dean Road 
Elementary in Fall of 1992 and became Principal in Fall of 1996. She 
retired as Principal of Dean Road Elementary School in the Fall of 
1998.
  After joining Washington Chapel A.M.E. Church in 1960, she started 
teaching the pre-school Sunday School class and remained the teacher 
for nearly 50 years. She still serves in the Cathedral Choir, as a 
member of the Stewardess Board and is active in Sunday School.
  In Summer of 2005, Juanita founded the S.M.A.R.T. (Science, Math, 
Art, Reading and Technology) Camp. Funded by grants and donations, this 
free two-week camp was started at Washington Chapel A.M.E. Church with 
approximately 40 students. Today, it is held at George Washington 
Carver Elementary School due to size and nearly 100 applications.
  A surprise Ladies' Luncheon will be held with women who have blessed 
her life over the years on October 21st at O'Charley's in Opelika, 
Alabama.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in wishing Juanita Varnado Pierce a very 
happy 80th birthday.

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