[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 53 (Wednesday, May 3, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E626-E627]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RETIREMENT OF McEACHERN HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL RALPH WILLIAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. BOB BARR

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 3, 2000

  Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with great admiration--and 
some sadness--that I honor Principal Ralph Williams, as he plans for 
his announced retirement from the Cobb County School system and 
McEachern High School. Principal Ralph Williams came to Cobb County 
from Tennessee in 1972, to serve as administrative assistant for 
Pebblebrook High School. He later served as an administrator for 
Pebblebrook, Wheeler and North Cobb, before accepting his current 
position as principal of McEachern High School in 1982. For the past 18 
years he has served the students of McEachern with honor and integrity; 
tirelessly devoting himself to the west Cobb community and this 
outstanding school.
  McEachern High School has an extensive history in the community. It 
was founded in 1908 as an Agricultural and Mechanical School, with 
financial support and donated land from John Newton McEachern, co-
founder of the Life of Georgia Insurance Company. In 1933, when A & M 
schools were abandoned, the community opened the Macland

[[Page E627]]

Consolidated School to continue to serve the educational needs of the 
community. In 1938 the school was renamed John McEachern Schools, 
providing educational opportunities to students from first through 
eleventh grade.
  In 1980, McEachern became a comprehensive high school, and is widely 
recognized as one of the very top high schools in the entire state of 
Georgia. Enrollment now approaches 3,000 students. The presence of 
Principal Williams on campus of McEachern High School will be greatly 
missed. His dedication and commitment to educating the young people of 
his community has made a lasting impression on two decades of Cobb 
citizens. We will miss him greatly and wish him the best as he moves 
into this new phase of his life.

                          ____________________