[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9046-9047]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING PENN STATE'S OLDEST ALUMNUS

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, last week, Penn State 
community lost a legend. Mr. Ray Walker passed away Friday at his home. 
He was 105 and Penn State's oldest living alumnus.
  Ray told our local newspaper that he saw the university grow a lot 
over the years from ``just a cow college'' to becoming one of the 
largest universities in the Nation.
  Penn State truly shaped Ray Walker's life. Back in 1931, he thought 
he wanted to be a doctor, but there was a requirement that he needed to 
take German. After failing twice, he reevaluated his major and decided 
to pursue business.

[[Page 9047]]

  Around that time, his father told him that he would have to leave 
Penn State because the family money was lost in the bank crash. But Ray 
went to work: He started selling potatoes and coal to fraternity 
houses, and by the time he graduated in 1935, he was sending money home 
to help his family.
  He founded Bradford Coal and was the driving force in surface mining 
all over the world.
  Penn State and I will miss Ray Walker. He was a friend. He was a 
distinguished alumnus and loved by all who knew him.
  May he rest in peace.

                          ____________________