[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 8 (Friday, January 13, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S925]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                 ON THE RETIREMENT OF WILLIAM J. McCORD

  Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, I rise to commemorate the service of 
William J. McCord, the Nation's longest-serving director of a State 
alcohol and drug abuse prevention and treatment agency. Mr. Jerry 
McCord is resigning on February 16 after fulfilling a thirty-five year 
mission to build a system in South Carolina that helps citizens avoid 
and defeat the curse of addiction. When he became the first full-time 
employee of the fledgling State Alcoholism Education Program instituted 
at the start of my Governorship in 1959, none of us knew he would 
eventually guide an agency that treats more than 30,000 South 
Carolinians yearly and leads the Nation in its focus on preventing 
alcohol abuse among teens.
  Jerry McCord has pursued his vision of an addiction-free population, 
not just within the community of treatment professionals, but on every 
front. He has taught at both of South Carolina's medical colleges, 
helped found a nonprofit foundation for drug abuse prevention, and 
received the Distinguished Service award from the South Carolina 
Correctional Association for his work with law enforcement. He has 
fostered a system of county commissions that lets each commission meet 
the needs of its community, while continually championing a longterm, 
system-wide goal of prevention, particularly among the young. In short, 
Jerry has dedicated his long and vigorous career to building a 
flexible, longterm system to benefit future generations.
  In addition to his wide-ranging service in South Carolina, Jerry has 
always made time to help the Nation find better prevention and 
treatment policies. His myriad national contributions include 
testifying before Congress in 1969 to advocate the formation of a 
Federal agency to fight alcohol abuse, serving three terms as president 
of the Alcohol and Drug Problems Association of North America; chairing 
the Alcohol Policies Project Advisory Board for the Center for Science 
in the Public Interest; serving as president, chairman, and member of 
the board of directors of the Council of State and Territorial 
Alcoholism Authorities; serving on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 
Head Start Partnership to Promote Substance Free Communities; and 
currently chairing the Expert Panel of the National Center for the 
Advancement of Prevention.
  This service has brought Jerry McCord repeated recognition at the 
national level, including a Lifetime Career Achievement Award from the 
National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors, the 
Outstanding Leadership and Dedication to the Alcohol Field award from 
the same organization, the First Annual Leadership in Prevention Award 
from the National Association of Prevention Professionals and 
Advocates, and the Outstanding Individual Offering National Leadership 
in the Alcohol and Drug Problems Field Award from the Alcohol and Drug 
Problems Association of North America. And, of course, Jerry has been 
my tutor on the best direction for Federal policy.
  Thus, it is with personal pride, but also speaking for those who know 
of his influence in South Carolina and across the country, that I 
commend Mr. William J. McCord for his generous career and wish him the 
best in what I am sure will be an active retirement.


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