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“HONORING PERCY NORWOOD, JR.” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E448 on April 4, 2017.
The Department handles nearly all infrastructure crisscrossing the country. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department should be privatized to save money, reduce congestion and spur innovation.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING PERCY NORWOOD, JR.
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HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON
of mississippi
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Percy Norwood, Jr., who is a retired Captain, Commanding Officer, and Executive Officer of the United States Coast Guard.
Mr. Norwood and his wife, Marie, have 36\1/2\ years of marriage and live in Carrollton, Mississippi. They are the proud parents of four adult children: Angelia, Kelvin, Lindsey Marie and Matthew, grandparents of five children: Devon, Shynell, Nathaniel II, Alexis and Camerin; and great-grandparents of one child, Alexander.
Percy Norwood, Jr. retired from the United States Coast Guard in 2000 with the rank of Captain after almost 30 years of outstanding and dedicated service to our nation. At the time of his retirement, he held three key positions: Commanding Officer of Coast Guard Headquarters Support Command, Commanding Officer of Coast Guard Headquarters Staff, and Executive Officer of Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, DC. Mr. Norwood also served as the first Director of the Coast Guard Recruiting Center from July 1995 to May 1998, where he was responsible for recruiting the best men and women to meet the Coast Guard's military personnel needs. During this assignment, Mr. Norwood led recruiters in creating the most diverse Coast Guard in our nation's history.
In 1993, Mr. Norwood served as team leader for the Vice President of the United States' National Performance Review Task Force where his team explored ways to improve Coast Guard fisheries law enforcement outcomes. As a result of his team's efforts, the Coast Guard maximized the use of technology to drastically reduce illegal fishing in U.S. territorial waters. While pursuing his Coast Guard career, Norwood performed numerous other jobs that included search and rescue; oil and hazardous material cleanup; conducting investigations, evaluations and training; planning, logistics, budgeting and personnel support; and teaching Chemistry courses at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.
Mr. Norwood's education and training includes: graduating from Marshall High School in North Carrollton, MS in 1964 as class Valedictorian; a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Alcorn State University in 1968; a Master of Science Degree in Analytical Chemistry from Tuskegee University in 1970, and a Master of Science Degree in Human Resource Management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA in 1980. His thesis entitled, ``A Comparison of the Fit Between the Organization Climate of the Coast Guard, the Job/Career Expectations of Black College Graduates and their Perceptions about the Coast Guard'' provided the basis for several initiatives that would ultimately change the racial and gender makeup of the Coast Guard. Mr. Norwood is a 1977 graduate of the Defense Race Relations Institute. He is a 1992 through 1993 Department of Transportation and Council for Excellence in Government Fellow and a past member of the Senior Fellows Group whose focus is improving government.
Mr. Norwood received numerous personal military awards that included the Legion of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, two Coast Guard Commendation Medals, and the Coast Guard Achievement Medal. His non-
military awards include the National Image Incorporated Award (1993), the National Naval Officers Association's (NNOA) Dorie Miller Award
(1993), the National Association For Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) Distinguished Alumni Award (1995), and the NAACP Roy Wilkins Renown Service Award (1995). Mr. Norwood was inducted into the Alcorn State University Hall of Honor in 2006 for his outstanding leadership and service and elected by his fellow alumni as Alcornite of the Year in 2008 as Alcorn State University's most distinguished Alumnus. Three of his four siblings (Laura, Willie and James) are also graduates of Alcorn State University.
Mr. Norwood is a past president of the Metropolitan Washington, DC Area and the St. Louis, MO Alcorn Alumni Chapters, and the Immediate Past National President of the Alcorn State University National Alumni Association. He is a past Vice President for Membership, Eastern Region Vice President, and National President of the National Naval Officers Association. He is a member of Rho Gamma Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. where he chairs their Project Alpha Mentoring Program and serves as Chairman of the Greenwood Alphas Foundation. He also serves as President of the Board of Directors for Leflore-Carroll-
Montgomery Counties Memorial Garden Cemetery, Recording Steward of Helm Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, and President of the Montgomery-Carroll-Grenada County Alcorn Alumni Chapter. He was recently appointed by the Carroll County Board of Supervisors as the Veterans Service Officer for Carroll County where he is helping veterans get the services and support they have earned and need. He also mentors two young men who are students at J.Z. George High School and tutors two Middle School students and one elementary school student.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mr. Percy Norwood, Jr., a Captain, Leader and Educator for his dedication to serving others and giving back to the African American community.
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