[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 24 (Tuesday, March 10, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E333]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN RECOGNITION OF W.A. ``BING'' LeCROY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BOB RILEY

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 10, 1998

  Mr. RILEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding 
educator and citizen of the State of Alabama, the late W.A. ``Bing'' 
LeCroy. Mr. W.A. ``Bing'' LeCroy died on October 29, 1996, but his 
enthusiasm for the field of education can still be felt by everyone 
that he directly and indirectly touched throughout his career.
  Bing LeCroy was born in Coosa County, Alabama, on April 1, 1918. Mr. 
LeCroy studied at Jacksonville State University and Auburn University 
where he received a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Administration. 
He later attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham for 
additional graduate work.
  Bing left Coosa County and moved to Chilton County to begin his 
career as a classroom teacher. He later served as Superintendent of 
Education of Chilton County, State Superintendent of Education, 
Director of the Chilton County Area Vocational Center and Director and 
Coordinator of the Wallace Community College, Clanton Extension. After 
his many years as an Alabama educator, he became such a recognizable 
icon that he was known to thousands across the state as ``Mr. 
Education.''
  Mr. LeCroy not only indulged in scholastic education, he also was a 
leader in civil education and worked tirelessly to ensure the safety 
and health of our children. During his administrative career in public 
education, he hired the first female bus driver in the State of 
Alabama. He also was the first proponent in the United States for 
mandating red stop signs on school buses, allowing for children's 
passage across the roads and highways.
  In addition to the unparalleled dedication that Bing selflessly gave 
to his students, Mr. LeCroy was a devoted member of the First Baptist 
Church of Clanton and was a long-time member and President of Kiwanis 
Club.
  Mr. Speaker, I am not the only person aware of Bing LeCroy's 
accomplishments. The thousands of students this man directly impacted 
will remain both a legacy and a reminder of the potential good that a 
teacher can achieve in a child's life. Recently, the Chilton County 
Board of Education recommended and approved the Chilton County Area 
Vocational Center be re-named the W.A. ``Bing'' LeCroy Career Technical 
Center. The re-naming of this building is a suitable memorial for a man 
who was known by those who love him as ``Mr. Education''.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the memory of one of 
Alabama's great education advocates, Bing LeCroy.

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