[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 52 (Thursday, May 4, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E727]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 CONGRATULATING MR. CHARLES McDONALD ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT

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                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 4, 2006

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, it is with a tremendous amount of pride that 
I rise today to honor Mr. Charles McDonald on the occasion of his 
retirement after serving as president of the Alabama Retail Association 
for 35 years.
  Charlie McDonald has been a devoted advocate for the retailers and 
business community of Alabama all of his life. Moreover, Charlie is a 
worker, not a talker, and he knows how to get the job done.
  He served the Alabama Council of Association Executives for over 
three decades. In 1987, he served as chairman of the Alabama Civil 
Justice Reform Committee, and in 1992, he chaired the Alabamians for 
Workers' Compensation Reform.
  A graduate of the University of Alabama, Charles received the School 
of Commerce and Business Administration's Retailer of the Millennium 
Award in 1999. He was also honored by the Food Marketing Institute with 
the Donald H. MacManus Retail Association Executive of the Year Award, 
and the American Society of Association Executives awarded him the 
Grand Award for Management Achievement. This year, the National Retail 
Federation honored Charles with the prestigious J. Thomas Weyant 
Lifetime Achievement Award.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating a 
dedicated community leader and friend to many throughout Alabama.
  I know Charles's colleagues, his wife Elaine, his children, and 
grandchildren, and his many friends from throughout the country join me 
in praising his accomplishments and extending our heartfelt thanks for 
his many efforts over the years on behalf of the state of Alabama.

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