2720 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 157, Pt. 2 February 28, 2011 education, Fleetwood was promoted to rican-American graduate of the U.S. yard. Each spring, when warmer weath- sergeant upon enlisting, and sergeant Naval Academy. er came, the rolling hills of farmland major just a few days later. As part of Christian Fleetwood embodied every- and hollows provided Earle with the the 4th Regiment United States Col- thing Americans revere. His actions in perfect setting to develop a love for ored Infantry, he would see action in the 4th Regiment from Baltimore, MD, America’s pastime. the Virginia and North Carolina cam- earned him the military’s highest But, as he grew older, he decided his paigns in the 10th, 18th and 25th Army honor. He was selfless, brave, a fierce calling in life was to teach. In 1917, Corps, and would distinguish himself fighter for the abolition of slavery, and Earle left his hometown of Pebworth to valorously at Chaffin’s Farm, on the chose to dedicate his free life to service attend Eastern Kentucky State Normal outskirts of Richmond, VA, on Sep- of his country and his community. School, now Eastern Kentucky Univer- tember 29, 1864. f sity, and received his teaching certifi- At the age of 24, SGM Christian cate in 1919. To help pay for his edu- Fleetwood stood a mere 5 feet, 4.5 TRIBUTE TO TAHIS CASTRO cation, Earle returned to eastern Ken- inches tall. Nonetheless, while march- Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today tucky to teach in one-room schools in ing on Confederate fortifications he to honor Tahis Castro, who is retiring Kentucky towns like Ida May and Levi. witnessed Alfred B. Hilton, a fellow sol- after 17 years of serving Nevadans as That was until destiny had other plans. dier, fall wounded while carrying the an organizer for the Culinary Workers In 1918 after a faculty-student base- American flag and the Regimental Union. ball game, Earle’s abilities caught the Standard, which Hilton himself had re- Tahis came to Reno from Costa Rica eye of Dr. Charles Keith, an Eastern trieved from a wounded comrade. Rush- in 1987. In 1994, she cofounded and orga- Kentucky State Normal School dean ing forward under withering fire, nized Hotel Employees and Restaurant and former pro player, who rec- Fleetwood and another soldier named Employees Local 86, which represented ommended he try out for Eastern’s Charles Veale caught both banners be- over 900 culinary workers throughout team. After successfully landing a spot fore they brushed the ground. Now Reno. Since that time, she has helped on the team, Earle’s talent on the field bearing the American flag, Fleetwood negotiate improvements in health care started to gain him some much-de- carried the attack forward, but re- benefits, wages, job security, and train- served attention. In the summer of treated once it became clear that the ing for thousands of working families 1921, after his last season on Eastern’s unit did not have sufficient strength to in Nevada. team, Earle played semiprofessional penetrate the defenses. Returning Tahis has always been a dedicated in several Kentucky towns through enemy fire to the reserve line, and tireless promoter of justice, re- until he was offered a contract with Fleetwood used his standard to rally a spect, and dignity for all workers. She the Louisville Colonels. determined group of men and renewed has been instrumental in the growth of During his 2 years with the Colonels, the attack on the battlements. Local 86, which merged with Las Earle’s miraculous talent earned him In a fight where the 4th and 6th Regi- Vegas’ Culinary Workers Union Local his career-long reputation as a line- ments of U.S. Colored Troops sustained 226 to represent a total of 60,000 work- drive hitter with reckless base-stealing casualties reaching 50 percent, ers in Nevada today. In addition, she ability. In 1924, this reputation trav- Fleetwood refused to give up. For these has served on the executive board of eled north all the way to New York, actions and their contribution to vic- the Nevada State AFL–CIO. where the bought tory at Chaffin’s Farm, Fleetwood, Tahis has also been influential in the young and talented Earle for along with Veale and Hilton, were representing Nevadans in the political $50,000. awarded the Medal of Honor. sphere. In 2008, she was chosen as one In the years that followed, Earle be- Fleetwood’s official Medal of Honor ci- of the State’s five delegates to the came a leadoff hitter for the famed tation reads simply: ‘‘Seized the colors, Electoral College, and she has been in- Yankees ‘‘Murderers Row,’’ a lineup of after 2 color bearers had been shot strumental in promoting voter partici- the late 1920s and early 1930s, and a down, and bore them nobly through the pation among Nevada’s Latino citizens. member of the 1927 World Champion- fight.’’ Every officer in Fleetwood’s I am pleased to stand today to com- ship Yankees team where he played regiment, all white men, submitted a mend Tahis for all she has accom- alongside other greats by the names of petition to the War Department to plished, and all she will continue to and . He was er- have him commissioned an officer, a achieve. Along with the Culinary rorless in the 16 games in sure sign of the respect felt by all who Workers Union, I congratulate Tahis which he played throughout his career, witnessed his gallantry. for her concerted effort and her career and ended with a career batting aver- The medal is now part of the collec- of dedicated service. age of .325. tion of the Smithsonian’s National Mu- f Earle retired in 1935 after sustaining seum of American History, and appears a brutal outfield injury the year before, in the exhibit entitled ‘‘The Price of REMEMBERING EARLE B. COMBS but remained a coach for the Yankees Freedom.’’ The medal’s inclusion in the Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I until 1944, during which he trained Smithsonian exhibit is also unique. rise today to honor the remarkable life other baseball greats such as Joe Fleetwood’s daughter Edith Fleetwood and career of one of baseball’s greatest DiMaggio. He was named to the Na- donated his medal to the Smithsonian legends, and a native of the Common- tional Baseball Hall of Fame in Coop- Institute’s National Museum in 1948. wealth, the late Mr. Earle B. Combs. erstown, NY, in 1970. The Smithsonian accepted the medal, Known far and wide to fans as the Ken- Earle coached for several other teams making Christian Fleetwood the first tucky Greyhound, the Silver Fox and before returning to Madison County African-American veteran to be so hon- the Kentucky Colonel, Earle was a where he served as a banking commis- ored. prime example of a gentleman who sioner during Governor A.B. Chandler’s The Civil War did not call an end to knew the value of hard work and deter- second administration and on Eastern Christian Fleetwood’s service, though mination. Kentucky University’s board of regents he was discharged honorably on May 4, Earle began his journey to greatness for 19 years, serving as chairman for 2 1866. Fleetwood would go on to orga- as a child on his father’s farm in of those years. Earle was a leader both nize a battalion of the D.C. National Pebworth, Owsley County, KY, where on and off the diamond. He was known Guardsmen, and, in the 1880s, formed he and his siblings would play pickup as a loving family man, a successful Washington, DC’s Colored High School games with homemade con- businessman, and above all, a true gen- Cadet Corps, which counted among its structed out of leather and rubber tleman. He was a devoted father and graduates Benjamin O. Davis, Sr., the trimmings from old, worn-out shoes grandfather and a loyal husband to his Nation’s first African-American gen- and tightly wound string, and bats childhood sweetheart, the late Ruth eral, and Wesley A. Brown, the first Af- made with tree limbs found around the Combs.

VerDate Mar 15 2010 07:38 Feb 27, 2014 Jkt 099102 PO 00000 Frm 00034 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR11\S28FE1.001 S28FE1 rmajette on DSK2TPTVN1PROD with BOUND RECORD February 28, 2011 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE, Vol. 157, Pt. 2 2721 He valued hard-work and knew the are of grandfather,’’ said Craig Combs, who ed,’’ according to the Earle B. Combs official importance of higher education. There was accompanied by his sons, John. 17, who website. is no question that Earle was someone plans to study vocal music at the University A favorite of Yankee fans, nicknames be- stowed upon him included ‘‘Kentucky Grey- who forever changed the game of base- of Louisville, and Christopher, 22, who played baseball at Madison Central, grad- hound,’’ ‘‘Silver Fox’’ and ‘‘Kentucky Colo- ball, who left an impression on those uated from the University of Evansville and nel.’’ After an injury, he retired in 1935 and he taught, and who left a lasting leg- is currently working on his Ph.D. at the Uni- coached for the team until 1944. The first acy in both his community and versity of Texas in aerospace engineering. year he coached, he trained his replacement, throughout the Commonwealth. Earle B. Combs has had many honors be- Joe DiMaggio. He coached for several other The Booneville Sentinel recently stowed upon him, but for his grandson, this teams before retiring in the mid-1950s and re- published an article introducing a new one is especially meaningful. ‘‘Coming from turning to his Madison County farm. He portrait of the late Earle B. Combs his hometown and his home county, this is served as Kentucky banking commissioner that was hung on the outside of the something very special,’’ said Craig Combs. during Gov. A.B. Chandler’s second adminis- ‘‘I appreciate Judge Turner and Mayor Long tration (1955–59). He served on Eastern Ken- courthouse in Owsley County, KY, on for being so kind to us when we came down.’’ tucky University’s board of regents from December 30, 2010. What an honor for Long said he is very pleased to see the 1956–1975 and was chairman from 1972–74. A this athlete and legend from his home- community finally honor its famous son dormitory at EKU (Earle Combs Hall) bears town and home county. I ask unani- with the portrait at the courthouse. his name and the school gives an athletic mous consent that the full article be ‘‘This has been a dream of Mayor Long’s,’’ scholarship in his honor. He also is a charter printed in the RECORD. said Turner. ‘‘He has brought it up at numer- member of EKU’s Athletics Hall of Fame. There being no objection, the mate- ous meetings.’’ Earle B. Combs was named to the National rial was ordered to be printed in the The portrait by Robert Johnson of Madison Baseball Ball of Fame in Cooperstown, NY in Avenue Designs in Georgetown joins other 1970. His baseball career included being part RECORD, as follows: murals at the courthouse depicting impor- of nine World Championships as a player and [From the Booneville Sentinel, Jan. 12, 2011] tant Owsley County scenes. coach in New York. EARLE B. COMBS PORTRAIT HUNG AT Turner acknowledged the assistance of Many from Owsley County, including COURTHOUSE Jo’e Short, Kacey Smith and Cassie Hudson, Mayor Long and Judge Turner who watched (By Rosalind Turner) members of the Action Team. These ladies the portrait go on the courthouse wall, are proud of the numerous honors and accolades Boonesville and Owsley County officials wrote the application to the Flex-E ARC bestowed upon this Hall of Fame baseball honored one of the community’s most fa- grant program after attending the Brushy player. They are also gratified that he found mous sons Thursday, December 30 when a Fork Institute at Berea College that got the fame for himself while practicing the values portrait of the late Earle B. Combs was hung ball rolling. ‘‘This would not have happened he learned growing up in Pebworth in Owsley on the outside of the Owsley County Court- without the grant,’’ he said. Additional County, Ky. house. matching funds for the project came from Earle B. Combs, a native of Pebworth and the Owsley County Fiscal Court, the Owsley f the son of James Jesse and Nannie (Branden- County Action Team and Farmer’s State Bank. FEDERAL EMPLOYEE INCOME burg) Combs, was a TAXES player, a member of the 1929 New York Yan- As a legendary baseball player, business- kees and was named to the National Baseball man and member of the Eastern Kentucky Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, on Feb- Hall of Fame, In 1917, Combs left Owsley at University board of regents, Craig Combs ruary 17, 2011, I introduced a bill that age 17 to pursue a degree in education at said his grandfather was much respected. will provide assurance to taxpayers Eastern Kentucky Normal School (Eastern However, his grandson remembers more than baseball and business. that Federal employees are on equal Kentucky University). Though he earned his footing with the American people and degree in 1919 and taught at one-room ‘‘He was just Pop to me,’’ he explained, re- schools in Ida May and Levi, he eventually calling nights spent With his grandfather are held accountable to the same rules changed his career path to play baseball. and grandmother (Mimi), Ruth McCollum, they enforce. In 1924, he earned a position as the also a native of Owsley County, on their In 2009, the Internal Revenue Service, centerfielder and leadoff hitter for the famed farm in rural Madison County. IRS, found nearly 100,000 civilian Fed- New York Yankees ‘‘Murderers Row’’ lineup ‘‘It was a magical time to grow up and be eral employees were delinquent on of the late 1920s and early 1930s, according to around them because they cared so much for their Federal income taxes, owing over the Earle Bryan Combs official website. He us. He was just a regular, loving grand- $1 billion in unpaid Federal income father.’’ was a member of the 1927 World Champion taxes. When considering retirees and Yankees team, which also featured baseball Craig Combs recalls the stories about his greats Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, and is grandfather’s baseball career and said he be- military, more than 282,000 Federal em- considered by many to be the greatest team came the family’s baseball historian. ployees owed $3.3 billion in taxes. in baseball history. ‘‘It was a wonderful upbringing to be This legislation will save taxpayers As the portrait was installed on the side of around them. To be their grandson was so at least $1 billion by requiring the In- the courthouse, the outgoing Owsley County special.’’ ternal Revenue Service to collect un- Judge-Executive Cale Turner and Booneville Craig Combs said he remembers his grand- paid Federal income taxes from civil- Mayor Charles Long were joined by one of father very well. He was 18 when Earle B. ian Federal employees. Combs’ grandsons and two great-grandsons. Combs passed away. Earle and Ruth Combs had three children. Earle Jr., Charles and Federal employees have a clear obli- ‘‘We are so honored,’’ said Craig Combs of gation to pay their Federal income Richmond, a grandson with very fond memo- Donald Combs. Mrs. Combs died in 1989. ries of his grandfather. ‘‘Thank you so Still a student, Earle Combs started play- taxes. The very nature of Federal em- much.’’ ing baseball at Eastern. That led to playing ployment and the concept inherent to Craig Combs praised Turner, Long and oth- semi-professional ball in such Kentucky ‘‘public service’’ demands those being ers who were instrumental in seeing the towns as Winchester, High Splint and Lex- paid by taxpayers to also pay their fair project to fruition. In March, Craig Combs ington. While playing for the Lexington Reos share of taxes. Federal workers should came to Owsley to speak to Holly Shouse’s of the Bluegrass League, he drew the atten- not be exempt from the laws they en- tion of the Louisville Cardinals (American class at Owsley County Elementary School force. In fact, they should lead by ex- about his grandfather. He said that he was Association), where he honed his skill in 1922 later contacted about the courthouse project and 1923. In 1924, he was a rookie for the New ample. Failure to do so is an affront to and gave his permission for the officials to York Yankees, patrolling center field be- taxpayers and to the rule of law. proceed. tween Babe Ruth and Rob Meusel. The fol- Unfortunately, Congress has allowed ‘‘I was very honored,’’ he said. ‘‘I was lowing season, he was installed as the leadoff this abuse of taxpayer dollars to occur thrilled that you (the project planners) were hitter in the famed ‘‘Murderers Row’’ Yan- throughout the Federal Government going to include grandfather.’’ kee lineup. He kept that position for the re- and failed to implement the proper Turner said that it has been a long time maining 11 years of his career. During his ca- safeguards to hold culprits account- goal of Mayor Long’s to have a portrait in reer, he batted over .300 nine times, had 200 able. Considering our national debt re- the city honoring the famed baseball player. or more hits three times, paced the Amer- ‘‘We’re tickled to be here and we’re tickled ican League in triples three times and twice cently surpassed $14 trillion, it is crit- that (the community) thought enough of him led all AL outfielders in putouts, He had a ical Congress quickly pass this legisla- to put his picture on the side of the court- career batting average of .325. In the out- tion. Surely this milestone is a wake- house. (It shows) obviously, how proud they field, he was known as ‘‘swift and sure-hand- up call for Congress to find ways to get

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