[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 77 (Wednesday, June 6, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1033-E1034]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO STEWART BELL, JR. OF WINCHESTER, VA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 6, 2001

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a remarkable gentleman 
from Virginia's 10th Congressional district, Mr. Stewart Bell, Jr. 
known to many as ``Mr. Winchester.''
  A fitting name indeed, for in the words of one local paper, The 
Winchester Star, ``few men are as one with their hometown or its 
history as Stewart Bell, Jr.''
  Stewart's remarkable ties to Winchester, and his deep appreciation 
for history gave him the foresight to sound alarms when urban and 
commercial development threatened the historic Grimm Farm property in 
Winchester and Frederick county, Virginia, the site of two critical 
Civil War battles (The First and Second Kernstown). Mr. Bell worked 
successfully to educate local officials about the historical importance 
of the land and the need to preserve it.

[[Page E1034]]

  In a gesture of appreciation, Mr. Bell is being honored later this 
month by the Kernstown Battlefield Association for his tireless 
leadership and efforts toward historic preservation. It was Stewart's 
initial concern at the prospect of losing this priceless historical 
land which facilitated the creation of the Kernstown Battlefield 
Association, a grassroots, private, nonprofit group which has partnered 
with local governments, the National Park Service, the Virginia Land 
Conservation Foundation, and four local banks to purchase the Kernstown 
Battlefield.
  It makes sense that Stewart would cultivate a passion for Civil War 
preservation. His family's lineage in the area reaches nearly a half 
century before the onslaught of the Civil War. In an article paying 
homage to local residents who are an inspiration, The Winchester Star 
laid out some notable facts about Stewart's life. Mr. Bell ``resides in 
the home built by his great-grandfather, John Bell, in 1809. His father 
came into the world there in 1864 as the guns of Third Winchester were 
booming. And he himself was baptised in Winchester in 1910 by a 
Presbyterian minister, the Rev. Dr. James R. Graham, who claimed 
Stonewall Jackson as a close friends . . .''
  Harkening back to the sentiments expressed by President Ronald Reagan 
in his farewell address, I think it is safe to say that Stewart has not 
just been marking time in Winchester, he has made a difference. 
Starting in 1954, Mr. Bell served on the City Council for 26 years. He 
was twice elected mayor and served from 1972-1980. Stewart also 
actively participated in countless community organizations including 
the First Presbyterian Church, the Red Cross and the Winchester-
Frederick County Historical Society.
  In this era of increased mobility, it is a rarity to find an 
individual with roots so deeply intertwined to the community of his 
birth nearly a century ago. Having personally had the opportunity to 
the community of his birth nearly a century ago. Having personally had 
the opportunity to be the beneficiary of Stewart's memories and tales 
of the Valley, I can attest to his unique ability to make history come 
alive. He is truly a renaissance man--a public servant, a poet with a 
recently published book, a community activist, a church leader and so 
much more. It is men like Stewart Bell--a powerful link to our shared 
heritage and a treasure in his own time--who epitomize that which is 
great about community and country. We are blessed to know him.

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