Recognizing Dr. Harold Black

Floor Speech

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Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my dear friend, Dr. Harold Black. The University of Georgia, his alma mater, recently announced it will name a new residence hall in his honor.

He was the first Black student to enroll in the university's Terry College of Business, graduating with a bachelor of business administration in economics. He completed his education by earning his master of the arts and Ph.D. in economics from Ohio State University.

Dr. Black then led an accomplished career working for financial institutions. He served as Deputy Director of the Department of Economic Research and Analysis in the United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Director and Chairman of the Nashville branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and consulted for several major banking corporations.

Dr. Black later used his public and private sector experience to teach finance in the higher education system. Following tenures at several universities, Dr. Black eventually settled at my alma mater, the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Dr. Black shared his knowledge with students in the Haslam College of Business for 24 years until his retirement in 2011. Throughout his career, Dr. Black published his financial research in outlets like the American Economic Review, the Journal of Banking and Finance, and the Journal of Monetary Economics. He received many awards for his teaching and research. Dr. Black continues to write, publishing a weekly column in my favorite newspaper, the Knoxville Focus.

Congratulations on your recent recognition from the University of Georgia, Dr. Black. Our community is proud of your achievements, and I for one enjoy reading your views on economics, and for making it so even a person of my intelligence level can understand what you are saying. I really appreciate it. Honoring Petty Officer Second Class Chris Al-Brett

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Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Petty Officer Second Class Chris Al-Brett as Tennessee's Second District's Veteran of the Month.

Chris enrolled in avionics school at the Naval Air Technical Training Center in Millington, Tennessee, in 1969. Later that year, he reported to Attack Squadron 174 based at Naval Air Station Cecil Field, which defended the beaches of Northeast Florida against a potential communist invasion.

He worked on an A-7 Corsair 2 Light Attack Bomber. Chris later transferred to Attack Squadron 176 in Virginia. In 1972, he embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS Franklin Delano Roosevelt for a mission in the Mediterranean Sea. After serving overseas, Chris was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 1974.

In 2015, Chris joined the Captain Bill Robinson Chapter 1078 of the Vietnam Veterans of America. He became the chapter's public information officer, and the chapter received the Vietnam Veterans of America's 2017 Chapter of the Year award thanks in part to his leadership.

In December 2020, Chris joined the United Veterans Council of East Tennessee's Board of Directors as its public information officer. He was recently elected as the board's president, a position he will assume this year.

Mr. Speaker, we thank Chris for his service to our country and to his fellow veterans. I wish him the very best at the start of his new position.

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