[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 165 (Tuesday, October 24, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2025-E2026]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO DR. GABRIEL J. BATARSEH ON HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______


                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 24, 1995

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. Gabriel 
J. Batarseh of Florence, SC, for his dedication to serving his fellow 
citizens both publicly, through his professional career, and privately 
through the work he has done in his community.
  Dr. Batarseh is a native of Bethlehem. He graduated from the Middle 
East College in Lebanon and received a masters degree and a doctorate 
of educational psychology from the University of South Carolina in 
1964. Since then, Dr. Batarseh has unselfishly dedicated his life to 
enriching the lives of people with disabilities and their families in 
the State of South Carolina. He currently serves as director of the Pee 
Dee region in the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special 
Needs. Dr. Batarseh is retiring after 30 years of public service.
  Dr. Batarseh's career has spanned many years. In 1966, he implemented 
all programmatic, educational, and cottage life services for the South 
Carolina Retarded Children's Habilitation Center, which is today known 
as Coastal Center in Ladson. Two years later, he opened the first South 
Carolina group home in Charleston. Since 1977, Dr. 

[[Page E 2026]]
Batarseh has been working for the citizens with mental retardation and 
their families in the Pee Dee region of South Carolina to provide them 
with specialized programs and services. As superintendent of the Pee 
Dee Center in Florence, he reintegrated hundreds of residents in to 
prosperous lives in their home communities, while providing support 
mechanisms to enhance the lifestyles of remaining residents.
  Over the years, Dr. Batarseh has not only modernized the Pee Dee 
Center, but he also initiated a number of novel services for people 
with mental retardation. He guided staff to provide early intervention 
training at home, encouraged the involvement of schools and families, 
and helped establish mental retardation boards in local communities to 
ensure people received the services they require.
  Moreover, Dr. Batarseh has demonstrated his commitment to the 
community beyond his professional career. He is a very active member of 
All Saints Episcopal Church, where he has served as a warden and a lay 
reader. He was also a volunteer coach for the Family Y League and the 
Florence Soccer League for several years. Dr. Batarseh is married to 
the former Lillian McCarter of Clover, SC. They have three children: 
Leila, Mark, and Matthew.
  Mr. Speaker, I join the South Carolina Commission on Disabilities and 
Special Needs to praise the work of Dr. Batarseh and salute the 
sacrifices he has made for the benefit of mentally retarded citizens 
and their families in the State of South Carolina. I am honored to 
represent such a citizen as Dr. Gabriel Batarseh in the Sixth 
Congressional District of South Carolina, and I hope you will join me 
in honoring this fine American.

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