January 9, 2009 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E57 

unwavering advocate for multiculturalism and 

diversity, and it was with that in mind that she 

founded the Inter-district School for Arts and 

Communications, the ISAAC Charter School. 

Since 1997, the ISAAC school has offered a 

unique educational experience for students in 

southeastern Connecticut where they can 

learn about the importance of diversity and the 

value of community service. 

Ruth’s belief in compassion and open-mindedness is a message that she carried to all 

she met. It is a spirit that lives on in her own 

children, Emily, Hannah and Lily. While her 

compassion for all children marked her legacy, 

it was the love that she had for her own children that defined her life. 

We in eastern Connecticut are blessed to 

have had such a dedicated public servant and 

those of us who knew her are blessed to have 

had such a friend. We will take solace in her 

memory and the example that she set for 

thousands of young people across our State. 

To Lee, her beloved husband, and the entire 

Cole-Chu family, please know that our 

thoughts and prayers are with you. 

f 

CITY OF BELLAIRE’S 100TH 

ANNIVERSARY 

HON. JOHN ABNEY CULBERSON OF TEXAS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, January 9, 2009 

Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today to celebrate the City of Bellaire’s 100th 

Anniversary. The prosperous and tranquil 

neighborhoods of Bellaire, Texas exemplify 

why so many new people and businesses 

move to Texas every day. The people of Bellaire take pride in their thriving city, which was 

founded in 1908 alongside the City of Houston. I grew up in West University Place, right 

next door, and I experienced what every 

young person in Bellaire enjoys today—the 

comfort and joy of growing up in a small town, 

even though we were in the middle of one of 

the biggest cities in America. 

One of Houston’s greatest strengths is the 

small town feel of neighborhoods all over Harris County, and nowhere is that small town 

safety, security, and prosperity stronger than 

Bellaire. The people of Bellaire look after one 

another, and take pride in their city and their 

neighborhoods and fill up every parking spot 

for blocks around whenever there is a parent 

meeting at a local school. 

When Hurricane Ike knocked down trees 

and damaged property and knocked out the 

power, the people of Bellaire showed once 

again why their beautiful city is so successful. 

They did not sit around and wait for the federal government to help them. Neighbors simply pulled out their chain saws, and their hammers and tools and walked door to door on 

their street to see who needed help. Elderly or 

infirm residents were helped by their next door 

neighbors in the very best spirit of America. 

Bellaire’s small town roots go back to its 

founding six miles outside of Houston in 1908 

by William Wright Baldwin. In 1918, when Bellaire was incorporated as an independent city, 

its population was 200, and during World War 

II the city grew rapidly. By 1948, the City of 

Houston had completely surrounded Bellaire, 

yet Bellaire has always maintained its independence as a home rule city. 

Bellaire’s fire and police departments are 

among the best in Texas. Building on a strong 

foundation of neighbors helping neighbors, 

Bellaire’s firemen and policemen have helped 

make Bellaire one of the safest cities in America. People from all over Texas and America 

continue to vote with their feet and their dollars by moving their homes and businesses to 

Bellaire at a time when other communities 

across the nation are shrinking. 

Bellaire was a part of the Seventh Congressional District in 1966 when the District’s first 

Congressman was future President George H. 

W. Bush, who was followed by the Chairman 

of the House Ways and Means Committee Bill 

Archer. Population growth in the greater Houston area caused District 7 to be drawn farther 

west until 2006, when Bellaire once again became part of this historic congressional district. 

As someone who grew up next door in West 

University, with many fond memories of Bellaire, I am especially proud to represent the 

people of this great city as their Congressman 

in Washington, D.C. It gives me great pleasure to congratulate the people of Bellaire on 

building one of the safest, most prosperous, 

and most pleasant cities in America over the 

last 100 years, and I will always do everything 

I can to preserve, protect, and defend Bellaire’s wonderful quality of life for the generations that will follow us in the next 100 years. 

Congratulations Bellaire. 

f 

HONORING BERNIECE HUGHES 

HON. KEVIN BRADY OF TEXAS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, January 9, 2009 

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I 

stand up today before my esteemed colleagues to honor a lifelong resident of my district who just flat-out loved politics. Nothing— 

short of time with her three children, five 

grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and 

nine great-great-grandchildren—made 

Berniece Hughes of Conroe, Texas, happier 

than getting mad at what we all had to say on 

her favorite all-news channels. The daughter 

of the late W.V. and Lennie Galloway Holliday 

of Polk County, Berniece Hughes did her 

growing up during the Great Depression. She 

was a girls’ basketball and track team member 

at Goodrich High in Polk County where she 

was in the 1934 graduating class. The oldest 

of six, Berniece is now reunited in heaven with 

her brothers and sisters and her sweetheart, 

B.F. ‘‘Bert’’ Hughes. 

A master of the one-liners, Berniece, even 

at 92, was—as her daughter puts it—a ‘‘doodle mama just like Driving Miss Daisy.’’ Likening her mother and father to screen giants 

Tracy and Hepburn, Lana says quick quips 

and laughter were just part of growing up a 

Hughes. Berniece thoroughly enjoyed being 

home with her children—B.F. ‘‘Mike’’ Hughes, 

Jr. of Livingston, and Wayne Hughes and 

Lana Hughes of Houston—as they were growing up. She was even more delighted to spend 

the second half of her days in Conroe enjoying watching her children bring her grandchildren and her grandchildren bring her greatgrandchildren and so on. Everyone who met 

her described Berniece as ‘‘a pistol.’’ 

Once again, Madam Speaker, I thank my 

colleagues for allowing me to share the story 

of a life well lived and ask for their thoughts 

and prayers as Berniece’s large, loving family 

will gather together at the Forest Park 

Lawndale Cemetery and Funeral Home to say 

their final goodbyes to their ‘‘doodle mama,’’ 

this Saturday morning. 

f 

IN RECOGNITION OF MARSHALL 

BILLINGSLEA, DEPUTY UNDER 

SECRETARY OF THE NAVY 

HON. JEFF MILLER OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, January 9, 2009 

Mr. MILLER of Florida. Madam Speaker, I 

rise today to recognize Marshall Billingslea, 

the outgoing Deputy Under Secretary of the 

U.S. Navy. I am proud to recognize his service 

to the Nation and thank him for his contributions to our national defense. 

Marshall entered public service after receiving his master of arts in law and diplomacy 

from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1995. He served for over 6 years as 

the Senior Professional Staff Member for National Security Affairs on the Senate Foreign 

Relations Committee. During this period, he 

was the senior advisor to the chairman and 

members of the committee on all proliferation, 

arms control, defense, intelligence, and 

counter-terrorism issues. These experiences 

provided an enormous breadth of knowledge 

and laid the foundation for a career of outstanding public service. 

Mr. Billingslea later joined the Bush administration as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of 

Defense for Negotiations Policy and served as 

the chief negotiator for all major international 

agreements. In this capacity, he was the principal Department of Defense representative on 

numerous U.S. arms control delegations, and 

the U.S. Head of Delegation for Transparency 

and Verification negotiations with the Russian 

Federation in connection with the Moscow 

Treaty on Strategic Nuclear Reductions. 

In recognition of his outstanding accomplishments, he was appointed the Acting Assistant 

Secretary of Defense for Special Operations/ 

Low-Intensity Conflict. As the principal civilian 

advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Defense on 

Special Operations Forces and counter-terrorism efforts against al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, he had enormous responsibility 

to safeguard the American people in supervising all special operations activities in the 

Department of Defense. 

Prior to his current position, he served as 

NATO’s assistant Secretary General for 

Defence Investment. He bolstered the national 

security of the United States by promoting 

NATO armaments cooperation policies and 

programs, and for military common funding. 

Additionally, he served as Chairman of 

NATO’s Conference of National Armaments 

Directors (CNAD) and Chairman of the Board 

of Directors for NATO’s Consultation, Command, and Control Organization. 

As the first Deputy Under Secretary of the 

Navy in over 7 years, Marshall has been the 

senior advisor to the Secretary of the Navy on 

a wide range of policy and intelligence matters. His advice and counsel to the Secretary 

during a time of war, as well as his leadership 

in standing up the DUSN organization, has 

been invaluable to the Secretary and the Department of the Navy as a whole. 


smartinez on PROD1PC64 with REMARKS