Autobiography - Gary "Bats" Pelphrey

I was born in Ashland, Kentucky, almost 63 years ago. My first political experience wasin leading my high school classmates in a "Students for Ike" campaign group in1952. After graduating high school I went directly to the United States Naval Academy,where I graduated with honors in the class of 1957. Most of my classmates know me as"Bats", a name I got on the first day of plebe year. When the upper classes cameback, one senior midshipman stopped me and, after hearing me sound off, "MidshipmanPelphrey, Fourth Class sir!", standing in my face, asked, "Do you have Bats inyour belfry, Mr. Pelphrey?" The only acceptable answer was, "Yes, Sir." Thename stuck.

I spent eight years on active duty, with sea duty in destroyers in the Pacific theater.My shore tour was teaching French at the Naval Academy. I joined IBM after leaving theservice. My last 4 years with IBM were here in Marietta, where I was part of the groupusing computers to address the problem of adult literacy. I am the co-founder of the localchapter of Literacy Volunteers of America, and the originator and chairman of the StateBar's Committee on Adult Literacy.

I believe in continuing education for all, for myself as well. I went to school atnight and got an MBA from George Washington University in Washington, DC, in 1969, with amajor in Management Information Systems. After moving to Marietta in 1977, my wife Joyceand I went to night law school and we received our Juris Doctor degrees in law in 1981.

Since retirement from IBM, I have been practicing law with Joyce, just off the squarein Marietta. We have a general law practice with Joyce focusing on Family Law, and medealing with general business issues and personal injury. We both assist the state bydefending indigent accused in criminal cases at a reduced billing rate.

I decided to run for this office when I started feeling the way so many others do, thatour political system had become so corrupt that there's no hope for attaining again therepresentative form of government we thought our Constitution guaranteed. This has createda general sense of frustration and hopelessness with respect to the Federal government, agovernment which I have spent years of my life defending.

I believe that there are no guarantees in the Constitution that simply lie there andget automatically implemented for us. We have to be willing to stand up and insist on ourrights. My campaign, which is nothing less than a revolution, is designed to allow all ofus to do just that.

I'm running against only one opponent - apathy. With estimates of expense in the 1996Sixth District race running as high as $8 million dollars spent, and only 1 in 3 votersparticipating, I think the people of this district, in disgust, are turning off to morethan just the TV evening news. I pledge to run a revolution to reestablish government ofthe people, by the people, and for the people, beginning with the Sixth District ofGeorgia.

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