[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 106 (Friday, July 31, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9548-S9549]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         PASSING OF BUCK MICKEL

  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a man who 
was a friend, a leading businessman, and one of the most public 
spirited South Carolinians I have ever had the honor to know, Buck 
Mickel, who passed away last week.
  Buck is best known and remembered for his leadership of the Fluor 
Corporation, one of the leading construction companies in the world. 
Buck began his career with Daniel Construction Company, which would 
later merge with Fluor, in 1948 and he very quickly began his climb up 
the corporate ladder. By the beginning of 1965, he was elected 
President and General Manager, and in 1974, he was elected as Chairman 
of the Board, a position he retained until he retired in 1987.
  Not surprisingly, a businessman who possessed the talents Buck did 
was respected and admired throughout the corporate community. As a 
result, he was asked to participate in many different ventures. He held 
more than twenty directorships and served on numerous boards. He was 
recognized with honors that included being named the 1983 ``Businessman 
of the Year'' by the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, and being 
inducted into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame.
  In his role as a corporate executive, Buck certainly helped to make 
significant contributions to South Carolina

[[Page S9549]]

by creating jobs and generating revenues for the Palmetto State, but 
his efforts to benefit our home state went far beyond what he was able 
to accomplish as a businessman. Buck was a tireless and enthusiastic 
advocate for education, and served as a life trustee of both my alma 
mater Clemson University, and of Converse College, as well as on the 
boards of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Furman University, 
Presbyterian College, and Wofford College. Furthermore, he was a member 
of the Advisory Boards of the South Carolina Foundation of Independent 
Colleges, the University of South Carolina Business School, and the 
National Advisory Council. His efforts to promote higher education in 
South Carolina not only earned him the respect and admiration of 
citizens, educators, and government officials, but helped to create a 
better education system in the Palmetto State.
  Buck's sense of service certainly must have been instilled in him at 
a very young age as he served in the United States Merchant Marine 
during World War II, and then in the Army during the Korean War. This 
desire to contribute continued throughout his life and manifested 
itself in many ways, including his commitment to education, and through 
his philanthropic actions, both as a private citizen and as the 
Chairman of the Daniel/Mickel Foundation.
  On a more personal note, Buck was a devoted friend and supporter who 
was always ready to help me however he could. He served as an officer 
on several of my re-election campaigns and played an important role in 
helping to get the Strom Thurmond Institute built at Clemson 
University.
  Mr. President, it is never easy to summarize the accomplishments of a 
man such as Buck Mickel who has given so much of himself and achieved 
so much. That he passed at such a young age only compounds the sadness 
all who knew him feel at his death, but we all take consolation in the 
fact that he leaves behind an enviable record of successes as a 
businessman and of helping others. My condolences go out to his widow, 
Minor Herndon Mickel; their children Minor Shaw, Buck, and Charles; as 
well as their five grandchildren. They can be proud of the work their 
husband, father, and grand-father did, as well as the reputation he 
leaves behind.

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