Mourning the Loss of Vernon Leon Davis

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the loss of Vernon Leon Davis. Leon Davis was a firefighter for over 30 years in Blackshear, Georgia.

Mr. Davis worked his way up to assistant fire chief of Blackshear while working part time over his expansive 30-year career.

Sadly, Mr. Davis passed in the line of duty while helping the Blackshear community during Hurricane Helene. This hurricane has hit Georgia and the Southeast region of the United States hard. Without the tremendous efforts and service of people like Mr. Davis, our communities would not be able to recover.

Mr. Davis was known to be an exceptional man by his family, friends, and all the people he worked with throughout his career. He has deeply touched the Blackshear community and will be greatly missed by many.

Our community is forever indebted to Mr. Davis' service, and I send my deepest condolences to his family and friends. Celebrating Howard Young's 100th Birthday

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate Howard Young's 100th birthday.

Born on November 25, 1924, in Louisiana, Howard Young has lived an incredible life. Howard grew up in Louisiana during the toughest of times, the Great Depression, and those experiences shaped Howard for the rest of his life. His upbringing instilled in him a love for his church, hard work, and helping those in need.

At 17, Howard joined the Navy and served our Nation in the Pacific theater in World War II. After his service, he left the Navy and moved to Houston where he entered college.

Even after his retirement at 58, Howard is well-known throughout the community for his busy schedule of volunteering for organizations, including the United Way, the Alzheimer's Association, his church, the VA, and many more.

Howard is also a local celebrity in the GOP and often quips that he became a Republican after Governor Huey Long levied taxes on food during his childhood in Louisiana.

Today, I ask that we all come together to celebrate this great man and congratulate him on 100 years of a young life. Mourning the Loss of Edward H. Zipperer

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the loss of Ed Zipperer. Ed was born in Savannah, Georgia, on August 8, 1931, where he grew up working on his family's vegetable farm along Highway 17.

Ed attended Savannah High School where he was a standout in football. He then played at Clemson University before earning an agricultural engineering degree from the University of Georgia.

He went on to coach basketball in 1965, forming one of the few racially integrated teams in the State. For games on the road, Ed even bought a hot dog machine to feed his team.

Ed continued making a difference in his community by serving in the State senate from 1967 to 1975.

Ed was instrumental in creating the Skidaway Island State Park, Fort McAllister State Park, and Kings Ferry Ogeechee River public recreational area. His dedication has helped to preserve land in south Georgia for generations to come.

Additionally, Ed was the president of Chatham County Farm Bureau for 45 years.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that we take a moment to mourn Ed Zipperer and thank him for his life of service that will always be remembered by the people of south Georgia. Celebrating the Work of Gerald ``Jerry'' Couri

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the work of Gerald ``Jerry'' Couri, the now former GOP deputy chief counsel for the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials.

Jerry's impressive tenure in the House of Representatives began before me and several of my colleagues here today, during the 101st Congress.

After graduating from Marquette University, Jerry worked for Representatives Scott Klug and Paul Gillmor, handling environmental issues related to the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Couri then served on the committee for 23 years, specializing in chemical management and playing a large role in rewriting the Toxic Substances Control Act.

While we honor Jerry's dedication to the committee for all these years, we recognize nothing surpasses his love for Marquette basketball and his lovely wife and children.

On behalf of my office and the committee, I thank Jerry for his faithful service to the committee and the U.S. House of Representatives.

We wish Jerry the best in his next endeavors.

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