[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 36 (Tuesday, March 28, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H1420]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF LON FOLGER, JR.

  (Mr. BURR of North Carolina asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURR of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute 
to the memory of a great man, Mr. Alonzo Folger, Jr., of Rockingham 
County, North Carolina, who passed away this morning. Lon was the son 
of one of my predecessors and the nephew of another.
  His father, Alonzo Folger, Sr., represented the 5th District of North 
Carolina from 1939 to 1941, and his uncle, John Folger, represented the 
district from 1941 to 1949.
  Lon Folger was a family man, an attorney, a community leader, a 
political activist, and a friend to many. I will never forget the 
support he, a leading Democratic figure in North Carolina, gave me, a 
Republican, when I ran for Congress in 1994. Lon not only supported me 
in that election but, from that time until his death, he was always 
willing to serve as an adviser to me on many issues we dealt with here 
in Congress.
  Lon Folger was the type of person whose word was his bond. A 
handshake could be counted on to be a valid written contract. Lon was 
honest and forthright. He was fair in his dealings with people, even 
those who he disagreed with.
  Lon was a leader in his community and, over the years, involved 
himself in numerous efforts to make his hometown, Madison, North 
Carolina, a better place to live. He could always be counted on to 
answer the call when there was a need, and he consistently devoted his 
time and energy to helping others.
  If we are fortunate enough in our lifetimes, we have the occasion to 
cross paths with a handful of very special people who teach us and are 
willing to help us understand where they have been before us. Lon 
Folger was that type of special friend for me, and I will always be 
grateful for the opportunity to have sought his counsel, knowing that I 
could trust his judgment.
  I extend my sympathy to his wife Elizabeth and to the rest of the 
family on their loss. Lon Folger's death is a loss not only for his 
family but for the community and the State he loved so much, and he 
will certainly be missed by all who knew him.

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