E1536 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks September 14, 2012 

Banquet Gala and Puerto Rican Ilustres. 

Please join me in welcoming the representatives of Barceloneta to the State of New Jersey. 

Founded in 1881, Barceloneta is named for 

its founder Bonocio Llenza Feliu’s hometown 

of Barcelona, Spain. Due to the vast pineapple 

plantations across much of the town, it acquired the nickname of La Ciudad de las 

Pin ̃as, or pineapple city. Barceloneta is located at the northern end of Puerto Rico, 

along the Atlantic Ocean and is traversed by 

the Grande de Manatı ́ River. 

Today, Barceloneta is known as the Industrial City as it once served as the largest pharmaceutical complex in the world with 14 industries present. It is an ideal location for the facilities because it has underground water reservoirs and the purity of Barceloneta’s water 

requires little treatment to produce their products. Many manufacturers remain today, including Merck Sharp and Dohme; Pfizer; and 

Abbott Laboratories. Barceloneta is a unique 

commercial area with the first and one of the 

largest outlet malls in Puerto Rico, which also 

serves as a travel destination. Its tourism is 

also bolstered by its famous black sand 

beaches, most popular among them Playa La 

Palmita, Playa Puerto de las Vacas and Playa 

Las Criollas. 

Many notable individuals hail from 

Barceloneta, including Sixto Escobar, Puerto 

Rico’s first boxing world champion. The Honorable Wanda J. Rosario Soler was elected as 

Barceloneta’s first female mayor in 2012. 

Mayor Rosario Soler is focused on economic 

development and tourism to ensure the continued success of Barceloneta. 

Mr. Speaker, once again, please join me in 

celebrating Barceloneta, Puerto Rico and 

thanking the Puerto Rican Heritage Statewide 

Parade of New Jersey for honoring the town 

at its 51st Annual Banquet Gala and Puerto 

Rican Ilustres. 

f 

A TRIBUTE TO STOCK CAR RACING 

LEGEND DUMONT SMITH 

HON. BILL POSEY OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, September 14, 2012 

Mr. POSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to stock car racing legend Dumont Smith 

of Satellite Beach, Florida who passed away 

on Labor Day at the age of 81. 

A hard-working building contractor by trade, 

Dumont Smith was born near Union Cross, 

North Carolina, and at an early age developed 

a love for racing. In 1946, at just 15 years old, 

Dumont began his stock car racing career on 

the dirt oval speedways in North Carolina. He 

won the first race he ever entered, after starting 44th in the field with a car he built in his 

back yard with his cousin Jimmy Caudle. 

Then, after hanging around and watching High 

Point, North Carolina driver Fred Harb work on 

his car at a nearby shop, Dumont refined his 

car-building skills. 

A big part of Dumont Smith’s early racing 

was done at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC, where he was racing fairly 

regularly by 1948. That year was also 

NASCAR’s very first year of operation, and 

Dumont was one of its pioneer members. In 

fact, when Dumont surrendered his NASCAR 

license after coming to Florida to race on the 

independent tracks, it was Richard Petty who 

took over Dumont’s registered car number 43. 

Dumont’s racing career in Florida saw many 

titles and track championships as he raced for 

various car owners and excited fans across 

the state. He won the Florida State Late 

Model Governor’s Cup in 1967 at the Golden 

Gate Speedway in Tampa, the Late Model 

Championship in 1968 and 1969 at the Palm 

Beach Fairgrounds Speedway in West Palm 

Beach and the 1969 Late Model Championships at New Smyrna Speedway in New 

Smyrna Beach and Treasure Coast Raceway 

in Fort Pierce. 

At the Eau Gallie Speedway in Melbourne, 

a local track I once owned and raced on many 

times, Dumont won a staggering 6 late model 

championships in 1962, 1963, 1964, 1966, 

1968 and 1969. He was also the Platinum 

Coast 100 annual event winner for five years 

and held the track record in 1967. In all, his 

racing career in Florida lasted through 1976. 

As a building contractor, Dumont along with 

his brothers, Percy and Jack, plus his cousins 

Percy Hedgecock and Jimmy Caudle, founded 

Satellite Beach by developing most of the initial housing neighborhoods. Dumont actually 

built his first house in North Carolina in 1948 

at the age of 17. Just the year before, he had 

met his wife-to-be, Sarah. They were married 

in 1949, and December of 2012 would have 

been their 63rd anniversary. Dumont is survived by his wife Sarah, his son Lance, his 

daughter Linda and three grandchildren Brandon, Amber and Grant. 

My favorite Dumont Smith story is from the 

1966 Governor’s Cup, the year before he won. 

Dumont was running second to Bobby Brack 

with just a few laps to go. Instead of driving 

through Bobby, running him off the track, Dumont made a bold choice—risk second place 

and try to pass on the outside around the turn. 

But the track was very slick from all the 

grease and leaky oil, and Dumont lost the 

number two position to ultimately finish fourth. 

One of the spectators next to me commented that it wasn’t a smart move; that Dumont gave up a sure second place. I simply 

replied that Dumont didn’t race to finish second, he came to win. And Dumont was an 

honorable racer. He raced to win straight-up, 

no dirty tricks or rough driving. That’s just one 

of the many qualities I liked so much about 

Dumont and why he had so many fans. 

f 

HONORING BISHOP EDDIE L. LONG 

HON. HENRY C. ‘‘HANK’’ JOHNSON, JR. OF GEORGIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, September 14, 2012 

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I 

submit the following proclamation. 

Whereas, Bishop Eddie L. Long, is celebrating twenty-five (25) years as pastor of 

New Birth Missionary Baptist Church this year 

and providing leadership to his church on an 

international level; and 

Whereas, Bishop Eddie L. Long, under the 

guidance and calling of God began preaching 

the word of God to members of New Birth 

Missionary Baptist Church as pastor in 1987 

and today is celebrating a milestone; and 

Whereas, from North Carolina to Atlanta, 

Georgia, he has transformed, trail blazed and 

taught the gospel; fed the hungry and assisted 

those in the community in need; and 

Whereas, this man of God has been a 

blessing to us as a spiritual leader, an educator and a community leader; and 

Whereas, Bishop Long has given of himself 

these past twenty five years to build up the 

community and has spread the gospel of 

Jesus Christ; and 

Whereas, the U.S. Representative of the 

Fourth District of Georgia has set aside this 

day to recognize Bishop Eddie L. Long, as he 

celebrates his 25th Pastoral Anniversary; 

Now therefore, I, HENRY C. ‘‘HANK’’ JOHNSON, Jr.1 do hereby proclaim August 19, 2012 

as Bishop Eddie L. Long Day in the 4th Congressional District of Georgia. 

Proclaimed, this 19th day of August, 2012. 

f 

IN CELEBRATION OF THE 65TH 

BIRTHDAY OF THE UNITED 

STATES AIR FORCE 

HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR. OF GEORGIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, September 14, 2012 

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise 

today to pay tribute to the United States Air 

Force for 65 years of innovative progress and 

strong, steadfast defense of our nation. Over 

the last 65 years, the brave men and women 

who have served in the Air Force have made 

significant contributions in defending our 

homeland and safeguarding our liberties. 

A celebration commemorating the 65th 

Birthday of the Air Force will be held at the 

Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base 

in Georgia on Saturday, September 15, 2012, 

at 6 p.m. Lieutenant General Andrew Busch, 

Vice Commander of the Air Force Materiel 

Command will be the guest speaker for the 

evening. 

The United States Air Force was officially 

founded on September 18, 1947. However, its 

history and legacy go back even further. Less 

than four years after the Wright brothers flew 

the world’s first airplane, the U.S. Army Signal 

Corps formed an Aeronautical Division in 

1907. Known by several different titles and 

serving a number of purposes, the precursors 

of the Air Force were instrumental in World 

War I and especially World War II. Today, the 

United States Air Force, with its cutting-edge 

technology and distinguished manpower, is a 

superior and well-respected authority of air 

and space. 

Shortly before the establishment of the Air 

Force, on September 1, 1941, construction 

began on the new Georgia Air Depot located 

sixteen miles south of Macon, Georgia. At the 

time of its dedication in 1943, the Depot Commander, Col. Charles E. Thomas, renamed it 

the Warner Robins Army Air Depot in honor of 

his mentor and the ‘‘father of logistics’’ of the 

Air Force, Brig. Gen. Augustine Warner Robins. Now known as Warner Robins Air Logistics Center and Robins Air Force Base, this 

former dairy farm pastureland would become 

the largest industrial installation in Georgia 

and one of the nation’s finest defense assets. 

Robins Air Force Base employs a workforce 

of over 25,584 civilians, contractors and members of the military. It is a vital part of the 

economy in Middle Georgia and brings in billions of dollars each year to the surrounding 


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