[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 125 (Friday, September 29, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1956]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO B. MONROE HIERS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 29, 2006

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a great 
public servant and Southern gentleman. Mr. B. Monroe Hiers is retiring 
as the attorney for the City of Bamberg, South Carolina, a post he has 
held for more than forty years.
  Monroe Hiers was born on October 15, 1923 in the town of Ehrhardt, 
South Carolina to Mr. and Mrs. B.W. Hiers. In 1943, he graduated from 
Wofford College and went on to serve three years as a First Lieutenant 
in the U.S. Army during World War II. Following his military service, 
Mr. Hiers returned to school and earned a Juris Doctor from the 
University of South Carolina in 1948.
  For more than 55 years, Monroe has practiced law in Bamberg, and for 
many of those years served as the city's attorney. During that time, he 
worked with five different mayors. The current mayor, Alton McCollum, 
calls Monroe, ``the essence of a Southern gentleman.''
  Monroe Hiers has also devoted his spare time to his community. He has 
served more than 50 years as the Bamberg County Veterans Service 
Officer. He is the past president of the Bamberg Chamber of Commerce; 
past president of the Men's Garden Club; and a past director of the 
Bamberg County Red Cross. For many years, he has been the vice 
president, director and attorney for Bamberg's Home Federal Savings and 
Loan Association, and has been honored by the CFISC for promoting 
``Community Financial Institutions Business in South Carolina'' for 40 
years.
  He currently serves as Adjutant of the Bamberg County American Legion 
Post #39, and is a past commander of the Post. He has helped many 
students' participation in the American Legion Oratorical Contests, 
Boys State, and the American Legion Baseball Team.
  Perhaps his greatest loyalty lies with the Lions Club. Monroe has 
been recognized by the organization for 50 years perfect attendance, 
and was selected for the Lion of the Year Award in 1973-74 for his 
outstanding service. He is a past president of South Carolina Lions 
Sight Conservation Foundation, for which he prepared the first 
Constitution and By-Laws, and made the application for the first 
Charter of the South Carolina Lions Sight Conservation Foundation, Inc. 
He has also served as a past president of the South Carolina Lions 
Sight Conservation Association, Charitable Services.
  Monroe was District 32-B's Governor and a 100 percent District 
Governor, in addition to several other positions he held with the Lions 
organization. He also organized two Lions Clubs in Swansea and the 
Seven Oaks area of Columbia. His extraordinary dedication to the Lions 
Club won him the honor in 2004 of being named to the South Carolina 
Hall of Fame for District 32-B.
  Monroe is a man grounded by his faith and his family. He is married 
to Eugenia Crosby of Lodge, South Carolina, and the couple has two 
daughters, one grandchild and one great-grandchild. For over 50 years, 
he has been teaching adult Sunday school at both Mt. Pleasant Lutheran 
Church in Ehrhardt and Trinity Methodist in Bamberg.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me congratulating 
Mr. Monroe Hiers for his extensive service to his community. He has 
dedicated more than 50 years of his life to serving others through his 
profession and his community involvement. I am confident the City of 
Bamberg and the State of South Carolina will continue to benefit from 
his extraordinary commitment even as he officially retires. On this 
occasion, I offer my best wishes and Godspeed.

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