IMOGENE HARRIS WAS PERFECT LEADERSHIP MODEL, TANNER SAYS IN REMARKS TO CONGRESS

WASHINGTON -- Congressman John Tanner today inserted the following remarks in The Congressional Record.

IN MEMORY OF IMOGENE HARRIS

Mr. Tanner of Tennessee

September 7, 2006

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the memory of Mrs. Imogene Harris, an important community leader in Tennessee, a tireless political activist and my dear friend. Imogene died Saturday in an automobile accident.

Imogene had been active in the Gibson County Democratic Party and the Tennessee Democratic Party for nearly 50 years, during which she was an important part of hundreds of local, state and national campaigns. I was fortunate to have Imogene working in my congressional office. She also worked closely with my predecessor, the late Congressman Ed Jones, former Governor Ned McWherter and Vice President Al Gore, and served as a delegate to four Democratic National Conventions.

She was just as involved locally. A board member at the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse and former chair of the Milan Housing Authority, Imogene was also to be sworn in next week as a Gibson County Commissioner.

The driving force behind her work was an attempt to help those around her and make our community stronger. Imogene was known in Tennessee for her take-charge attitude. She knew her opinions, shared them often and acted on them enthusiastically.

Imogene and her late husband, Tom “Skinny” Harris, have two daughters, Jan Anderson of Milan and Pam McAlpin of Trezevant, and four grandchildren, Jake and Clay Anderson, and Jason and Adam McAlpin.

Mr. Speaker, I am saddened that you and most of our colleagues in the House of Representatives never got to meet my friend, Imogene Harris. The way she lived her life, the passion with which she acted on her beliefs, and the dedication with which she worked to improve our world, make her the perfect example of effective leadership. She will be sorely missed.

# # #

Contact: Randy Ford, 202.225.4714