Congressional Record—Senate S6688
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S6688 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE December 11, 2014 Force Base continues to seek MERC’s business at Warner Robins. In case it is Heart, to raise money for it. Mary Ann would unique expertise and essential engi- not, I urge my colleagues here in the come back from Hollywood and emcee it. neering skills, but is forced to pass Senate to remain vigilant in their ‘‘She remembered everybody. She treated money through small and large busi- oversight responsibilities, and I renew us just the same. She never got too big for us. She was the same girl who used to ride nesses to MERC adding time and cost my call to the Secretary of the Air palomino horses in the pasture behind her to the product/service delivery. By de- Force to ensure local commands apply house.’’ manding more awards go to small busi- the FAR as written so as to guarantee Judy Trott, former dean of students at Ole nesses, the government also suffers a our men and women in uniform have Miss, said Mobley ‘‘was always generous loss of intellectual property, IP, since exactly what they need, when they with her time when it came to Ole Miss.’’ MERC transfers ownership of all said need it, and at a price that is in keep- ‘‘She would come back and oversee the property back to the U.S. Government, ing with our responsibilities as stew- Miss University pageant—the one she won to send her to Miss America—and the Parade of while small businesses can retain IP ards of the American tax dollar.∑ for future revenue. Beauties, another pageant that we still You would be hard pressed to find f hold,’’ she said. REMEMBERING MARY ANN Trott wasn’t surprised Mobley went on to any bigger supporter of small busi- become a popular film and TV actress. nesses in the Senate than myself. How- MOBLEY ‘‘Mary Ann was groomed for it,’’ she said. ever, when it comes to ensuring our ∑ Mr. COCHRAN. Madam President, ‘‘She had great talent, a great voice. Her men and women fighting overseas for my State has lost one of our finest citi- mother would often come to pageants up our freedom have what they need to zens. Mary Ann Mobley, a friend to here with her, and she was outgoing and bub- get the job done, there are only three many and one of our best known Mis- bly. I guess that’s where Mary Ann got her personality. things I care about: cost, schedule, and sissippians, passed away Tuesday. performance. Our men and women in ‘‘I remember after one of the pageants tak- Mary Ann was the first young woman ing Mary Ann and her mother down to the uniform deserve that. from Mississippi to be crowned Miss In this era of defense spending aus- Holka, a place you could get cake and coffee. America, an accomplishment that was We were in there for three hours that night. terity, the Air Force can ill afford the a source of great pride to my State. I It wasn’t just the students talking to Mary unintended consequences of precluding got to know Mary Ann at the Univer- Ann, it was Mary Ann talking to the stu- entities that supply vital complex en- sity of Mississippi, where she was real- dents. She was interested in them, wanted to gineering solutions, along with the ly a superstar and a fine actress. Inci- know their plans, their goals. She was ex- added benefit of cross pollination of tremely warm and outgoing. It was easy to dentally, we were cast in a University educational experience between gov- love her.’’ Players production of ‘‘Tiger at the ernment employees, both civilian and Hometown friends, saddened by her death, Gates’’ at Ole Miss. She made Mis- military, and the best in the academic quietly reminisced Wednesday. sissippians proud of her success as an Mobley not only battled breast cancer in engineering community, from receiv- entertainer in Hollywood and a person recent years but suffered carpal tunnel syn- ing business simply to meet a set-aside who kept our State close to her heart drome in both hands and arms. Emails be- quota. came shorter as every letter of every word This issue is about ensuring Robins throughout her career. I ask unanimous consent that a De- required effort. Air Force Base maintains essential en- Phone calls to check on the people of her gineering capabilities to supplement cember 11, 2014, article from the Clar- hometown also became shorter, but no more their own and their ability to swiftly ion-Ledger newspaper titled ‘‘Mary infrequent. If the conversation ever turned and inexpensively select the most ca- Ann Mobley ‘never forgot her roots’ ’’ toward her own problems, Mobley would pable organization to provide the best be printed in the RECORD. laugh and find a way to quickly change the product or service at the best value to There being no objection, the mate- subject. Some of the memories stirred laughter. the government. The Small Business rial was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows: Such as the time Mobley was to perform at Office at Warner Robins, in their at- Brandon High School but the family car tempt to carry out the Air Forces’ [From the Clarion-Ledger, Dec. 11, 2014] wouldn’t crank. Her mother saddled a horse broader goal of increasing small busi- MARY ANN MOBLEY ‘NEVER FORGOT HER for the 5–mile ride, and she and Mary Ann nesses participation, is jeopardizing ROOTS’ made it there in time. the very survival of institutions pro- (By Billy Watkins) And the night Brandon folks danced in the vided for and protected by the FAR. They danced in the streets of Brandon the street, the celebration spread to the capital By selectively applying the FAR ex- night one of their own, Mary Ann Mobley, city. A few town residents decided it would ceptions, the Air Force is ignoring the was crowned the 1959 Miss America. be a good idea to take the volunteer fire de- ‘‘That’s not just a saying, that’s a fact,’’ partment’s truck and drive it up and down intent of the acquisition regulations. It Jackson’s Capitol Street with the siren is certain to destroy these few vital said Waymon Tigrett, 70, who grew up with Mobley and has owned Brandon Discount blaring. Jackson police eventually tired of educational links between academic in- the racket and impounded the truck. stitutions and government engineers Drugs the past 46 years. ‘‘They put a jukebox out by the statue in the middle of Main Mobley also became a filmmaker, pro- that need that level of expertise. More Street, ran an extension cord out to it and ducing documentaries in Cambodia, Ethi- importantly, by ignoring FAR Excep- that thing blared music all night. People opia, Mozambique, Somalia, Kenya, tion Three, the government is limiting danced and carried on for hours. It was a Zimbabwe and the Sudan. its ability to pursue the best solutions true celebration. Mobley’s husband of 45 years, TV person- at the best price. We can ill-afford such ‘‘You have to remember, Brandon was only ality Gary Collins, died in 2012. The couple about 2,000 people back then. It was a small, had one daughter, Clancy Collins-White. consequences in this period of eco- Collins-White phoned friends Tuesday in isolated town. And all of a sudden, a girl we nomic austerity, simply in the name of Brandon to tell them of Mobley’s death. all know is on television and winning Miss fostering the growth of small busi- Three other Mississippians have won the America. That was a huge deal back then. nesses. Miss America crown: Lynda Lee Mead of And still is to us.’’ I was encouraged in September when Natchez, 1960; Cheryl Prewitt of Ackerman, Mobley, Mississippi’s first Miss America, 1980; and Susan Akin of Meridian, 1986.∑ the Air Force took a step in the right died Tuesday after a long battle with breast direction with their approval of a Jus- cancer. She was 77. f tification and Approval, J&A, for the Services will be 1 p.m. Monday at Christ RECOGNIZING THE NATIONAL use of other than full and open com- United Methodist Church in Jackson. Visita- FINALS RODEO petition for an engineering, research tion will be Sunday from 4–6 p.m. at Park- and development contract in support of way Funeral Home in Ridgeland. ∑ Mr. HELLER. Madam President, technologies and methodologies appli- Mobley won the crown in September 1958, today I wish to recognize the annual cable to aging aircraft and support the same year she graduated from the Uni- National Finals Rodeo, which takes equipment. The contract will maintain versity of Mississippi. place at the Thomas & Mack Center on ‘‘She never forgot her roots, where she the campus of the University of Ne- essential engineering, research, and de- came from,’’ said Tigrett, who lived four velopment capabilities at Robins AFB houses down from Mobley on what is known vada, Las Vegas. The National Finals through support provided by MERC. now as Mary Ann Drive. ‘‘Rankin County Rodeo has been held in Las Vegas for I am hopeful this recent development used to own Rankin General Hospital, and the past 30 years of the event’s 55 year is indicative of a new way of doing we had a big benefit every year, Affair of the history. Often noted as the foremost VerDate Sep 11 2014 06:58 Dec 13, 2014 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\G11DE6.166 S11DEPT3 rfrederick on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with SENATE.