Louie Gohmert: “I rise today in honor of John Edward Dean's 90th birthday. John Edward Dean was born June 18, 1917 in Upshur County…”

“I rise today in honor of John Edward Dean's 90th birthday. John Edward Dean was born June 18, 1917 in Upshur County, Texas. He grew up in my district, in the town of Gilmer, where he attended Gilmer public schools and graduated from Gilmer High School in 1937. Mr. Dean would often ride horseback to school, and by the age of 15, he was hauling cattle to the Fort Worth stockyards to help provide for his younger siblings. In 1945 he purchased Snider's sawmill in Gilmer, where the company will turn 70 next year. John Dean is an American patriot, a servant who so many of us in east Texas have come to respect. He never missed a day of work or church due to an illness, and was never even hospitalized until age 70. John and the love of his life, the late Jane Holmes, have 3 children, 7 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren, and has given generously to the Gilmer community. His lumber company is one of Gilmer's largest employers, and was a pioneer in diversity. He serves as a deacon at First Baptist Church of Gilmer, is a 20-year member of the East Texas Baptist University Board of Trustees in Marshall. I stand here today to wish John Edward Dean a happy birthday, Mr. Speaker, and to pray that God may continue to bless him and his family for being such a blessing to so many others.”