[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 127 (Monday, November 13, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1995]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO RETIRING BARTON COUNTY OFFICIALS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. IKE SKELTON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 13, 2006

  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, it has come to my attention that a number 
of officials from Barton County, Missouri, are retiring this year after 
serving the public for a number of years.
  I have had the privilege of representing Barton County in the United 
States Congress on two occasions. Barton County lies in the 
southwestern part of the Fourth Congressional District. Its county seat 
of Lamar is the birthplace of President Harry S Truman, and the people 
who live there today personify the same common sense, hard working, 
Show-Me State values that made President Truman an outstanding 
president and global leader. I am honored to represent these fine 
Missourians in the United States Congress and to have had the privilege 
to work with many of these outstanding public officials.
  Presiding Commissioner Gerald Miller was born in Idaho but moved to 
Missouri as a child. He graduated from Lamar High School in 1958 and 
has been active in the community since that time. Since 1999, Mr. 
Miller has served as Presiding Commissioner and has worked tirelessly 
to improve the communities he represents. He is a member of the Lamar 
Metro Club, the Abou Ben Adhem Shrine, and the Lamar Masonic Lodge. He 
is a successful businessman who is married to Brenda Rinehart and has 
two sons, Mark and Matt.
  County Clerk Bonda Rawlings is a lifelong resident of Barton County. 
She graduated from Lamar High School in 1961 and has dedicated much of 
her life to bettering her community. Since 1983, she has served as the 
Barton County Clerk and has been a leader in the State Association of 
County Clerks, serving as president in 1996. While working full time, 
she is also a member of the Barton County Chamber of Commerce, the 
Lamar Art League, the Barton County Historical Society, the Truman Area 
Transportation System, and the Lamar High School Booster Club. In all 
of these organizations, Mrs. Rawlings has held a leadership position. 
Bonda is married to Bill Rawlings and has two sons, Stan and Steve.
  Circuit Clerk Jerry Moyer has spent his adult life serving Barton 
County and is a graduate of Golden City High School. In 1976, he 
graduated from the College of the Ozarks with a degree in criminal 
justice administration. Mr. Moyer has served as the Clerk of the 
Circuit Court in Barton County since 1983 and has been a leader among 
his colleagues, serving as president of the Circuit Clerk and Recorders 
Association in 1994. Mr. Moyer previously served as Deputy Sheriff, a 
police officer, and a Deputy Juvenile Officer. He is active in the 
First Assembly of God Church, the Lamar Rotary Club, and the Freedom 
Singers gospel choir. Jerry Moyer is married to Jena Moyer and has a 
daughter named Tiffany.

  Recorder of Deeds Jean Keithly has lived in Barton County all her 
life and is a graduate of Lamar High School. From 1984 to 2003, she 
served as the Deputy Recorder of Deeds in Barton County. In 2003, she 
became the first elected Recorder of Deeds in Barton County since 1935, 
when the office had been combined with the Circuit Clerk's office. Mrs. 
Keithly has been an active member of the Recorder's Association of 
Missouri for 22 years. She is a long-time member of the Hopewell 
Cumberland Presbyterian Church and has been an outstanding charitable 
volunteer. Mrs. Keithly is married to Bob Keithly and has two children, 
Michael and Teresa.
  Deputy Assessor Ona Mullinax has lived in Golden City, Missouri, for 
the past 41 years and has worked at the Barton County Courthouse since 
1983. Throughout her tenure, she has capably worked through many 
changes within her office and was especially instrumental in assigning 
emergency 911 addresses to rural Barton County homes. In 1998, Mrs. 
Mullinax received the Employee of the Year award, which was presented 
by the Lamar Rotary Club. She and her husband, Rusty, have a shared 
family of seven children and ten grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, these five individuals represent the outstanding 
Missourians who live and work within Missouri's Fourth Congressional 
District. As they each prepare to spend time with their families and 
enjoy retirement, I know that my colleagues will join me in wishing 
them well.

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