Floor SpeechCeremonial2026-01-30

IN MEMORY OF MR. ADRIAN EARL JENKINS, SR.

HealthcareEducationAgricultureCivil Rights

Context

On 2026-01-30, Representative Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA-2) delivered a floor speech titled "IN MEMORY OF MR. ADRIAN EARL JENKINS, SR." in the House. The speech addressed healthcare and also covered education, agriculture.

Full Text

IN MEMORY OF MR. ADRIAN EARL JENKINS, SR.

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 22 (Friday, January 30, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 22 (Friday, January 30, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E85-E86] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] IN MEMORY OF MR. ADRIAN EARL JENKINS, SR. ______ HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR. of georgia in the house of representatives Friday, January 30, 2026 Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I rise with a heavy but grateful heart to honor the life of Mr. Adrian Earl Jenkins, Sr.--a gentle giant of faith, family, and fearless service, whose quiet strength lifted a community for more than 9 decades. A funeral service celebrating his remarkable life was held on January 29, 2026, at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. Adrian Earl Jenkins, Sr. was born May 7, 1928, in LaGrange, Georgia, to Julia Byrd and was primarily raised by his aunt and uncle, William and Jesse Pattilo. His hands told his story: strong from teaching generations of students, callused from building a home and other community structures with his own labor and tender from holding grandchildren and comforting neighbors in times of need. Grounded in faith, he lived out many callings--student, soldier, husband, father, teacher, farmer, deacon, activist, and friend--with humility and devotion. After graduating from East Depot High School in LaGrange, he enrolled at Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, but his studies were interrupted when he was drafted to serve in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict. Mr. Jenkins returned from the War, determined to finish his education, which he did at Albany State College. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Education and dedicated his life to teaching. For more than 34 years he shaped minds and modeled dignity, discipline, and love in the Thomas County and Dougherty County School Systems. His students remember lessons far beyond academics on how to live with honor and purpose. In 1958 he and Mary Frances Royal joined hearts in marriage, a steadfast partnership of 56 years. Family was his pride--his son Adrian Jenkins, Jr., his late daughter Sharon Jenkins Hicks, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who will carry his laughter, his stories, and his legacy forward. For over 60 years Mr. Jenkins served Mount Zion Baptist Church as a deacon, offering his time, prayer, wisdom and treasure. As a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. for 70 years, he embodied the fraternity's ideals of manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all mankind and was honored by the Gamma Omicron Lambda Chapter as ``Brother of the Year.'' He helped build and sustain institutions that mattered, including the Albany Civil Rights Museum as a founding board member, overseer of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority house in Albany and numerous other community meeting places. He labored untiringly without seeking the spotlight. Mr. Jenkins was also a quiet but steady force in the struggle for civil rights, supporting carpools during the bus boycott, aiding desegregation of the lunchroom at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and practicing ordinary acts of courage that yielded extraordinary change. He loved the land--raising chickens and hogs and living the words of Psalm 128:2, eating the fruit of his labor, and blessing those at his table. Though accomplished, he sought no title. He simply wanted to make a difference, [[Page E86]] following the example of Jesus by choosing understanding over intolerance, love over hate, benevolence over selfishness, and humility over arrogance. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife Vivian, and me, along with the more than 765,000 people of Georgia's 2nd Congressional District in honoring the life and legacy of Adrian Earl Jenkins, Sr. Our city, our Nation and the world are better because he walkdd among us. We mourn his loss but celebrate a life whose enduring legacy is written in the lives he touched: teachers inspired to teach, children who learned they mattered, neighbors who found courage, and a family that will carry his love forward. May his memory be a blessing. May his soul rest in peace, and may his example continue to inspire lives of service, faith, and love.

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IN MEMORY OF MR. ADRIAN EARL JENKINS, SR. Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 22 (Friday, January 30, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 22 (Friday, January 30, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E85-E86] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] IN MEMORY OF MR. ADRIAN EARL JENKINS, SR. ______ HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR. of georgia in the house of representatives Friday, January 30, 2026 Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I rise with a heavy but grateful heart to honor the life of Mr. Adrian Earl Jenkins, Sr.--a gentle giant of faith, family, and fearless service, whose quiet strength lifted a community for more than 9 decades. A funeral service celebrating his remarkable life was held on January 29, 2026, at Mount Zion Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. Adrian Earl Jenkins, Sr. was born May 7, 1928, in LaGrange, Georgia, to Julia Byrd and was primarily raised by his aunt and uncle, William and Jesse Pattilo. His hands told his story: strong from teaching generations of students, callused from building a home and other community structures with his own labor and tender from holding grandchildren and comforting neighbors in times of need. Grounded in faith, he lived out many callings--student, soldier, husband, father, teacher, farmer, deacon, activist, and friend--with humility and devotion. After graduating from East Depot High School in LaGrange, he enrolled at Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, but his studies were interrupted when he was drafted to serve in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict. Mr. Jenkins returned from the War, determined to finish his education, which he did at Albany State College. He obtained a Bachelor of Science in Education and dedicated his life to teaching. For more than 34 years he shaped minds and modeled dignity, discipline, and love in the Thomas County and Dougherty County School Systems. His students remember lessons far beyond academics on how to live with honor and purpose. In 1958 he and Mary Frances Royal joined hearts in marriage, a steadfast partnership of 56 years. Family was his pride--his son Adrian Jenkins, Jr., his late daughter Sharon Jenkins Hicks, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who will carry his laughter, his stories, and his legacy forward. For over 60 years Mr. Jenkins served Mount Zion Baptist Church as a deacon, offering his time, prayer, wisdom and treasure. As a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. for 70 years, he embodied the fraternity's ideals of manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all mankind and was honored by the Gamma Omicron Lambda Chapter as ``Brother of the Year.'' He helped build and sustain institutions that mattered, including the Albany Civil Rights Museum as a founding board member, overseer of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority house in Albany and numerous other community meeting places. He labored untiringly without seeking the spotlight. Mr. Jenkins was also a quiet but steady force in the struggle for civil rights, supporting carpools during the bus boycott, aiding desegregation of the lunchroom at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and practicing ordinary acts of courage that yielded extraordinary change. He loved the land--raising chickens and hogs and living the words of Psalm 128:2, eating the fruit of his labor, and blessing those at his table. Though accomplished, he sought no title. He simply wanted to make a difference, [[Page E86]] following the example of Jesus by choosing understanding over intolerance, love over hate, benevolence over selfishness, and humility over arrogance. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife Vivian, and me, along with the more than 765,000 people of Georgia's 2nd Congressional District in honoring the life and legacy of Adrian Earl Jenkins, Sr. Our city, our Nation and the world are better because he walkdd among us. We mourn his loss but celebrate a life whose enduring legacy is written in the lives he touched: teachers inspired to teach, children who learned they mattered, neighbors who found courage, and a family that will carry his love forward. May his memory be a blessing. May his soul rest in peace, and may his example continue to inspire lives of service, faith, and love.